Last week’s encounter between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals sparked controversy when it appeared that Sourav Ganguly, the director of cricket for DC, and RCB batsman Virat Kohli were at odds.
Following RCB’s overwhelming victory in the game, the two players didn’t shake hands, and a day later, it was claimed that Kohli had unfollowed the former Indian captain on Instagram. Furthermore, it appeared that within the same week, Ganguly had paid it forward on the same social networking platform.
Ricky Ponting, the DC coach and a former Australian cricketer, was greeted by Kohli after RCB’s victory. Before the DC head coach stopped him for a brief talk, he ignored Ganguly. Ganguly continued to greet the other RCB players while ignoring the RCB batter. Notably, it was reported that the former RCB captain unfollowed the former Indian captain on Instagram following the altercation. Additionally, Ganguly followed suit on the social media website.
There was definitely some fire
While everything was going on, the ‘The Grade Cricketer’ podcast asked former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson, who is currently the DC team’s assistant coach, to explain the circumstances surrounding the two cricketers. Watson refrained from providing more specifics but said that Kohli seemed to have “fire in his belly.” He added that he is unsure of the precise reason for the incident that happened after the competition.
“It could be rumour-mongering, but I’m not sure. So, it’s not something I want to get involved in. But there was definitely some fire in Virat’s belly, that’s for sure. From an opposition point of view, that’s the last thing you need as well. Virat, when he’s like that, that’s when he’s at his absolute best. Whatever reason that was, I’m not exactly sure,” Watson said.
Why there is a conflict between Kohli and Ganguly?
The rumoured conflict between the two Indian players began when Ganguly was president of the BCCI and Kohli served as captain of the Indian squad. Ganguly and the then-chief selector Chetan Sharma appeared to be unhappy with Kohli’s choice to resign as India’s T20I captain. The 34-year-old batsman was then relieved of his duties as ODI captain, and a month later, he also resigned as Test captain.
Kohli is in good shape
In 34 deliveries at Bengaluru’s M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Kohli scored 50 runs. He later made three receptions of his own and was named “Player of the Match.” DC suffered their fifth straight loss as their hitting lineup continued to struggle.
This season, Kohli has been in incredible shape. With 279 runs from six innings at an average of 55.80, including four half-centuries, he is one of the candidates for the Orange Cap.
Kohli added another fifty against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at Mohali. He led the RCB in the absence of team captain Faf du Plessis, who made an incredible 84 off just 56 balls but was unable to play on the pitch.
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