Amidst Virat Kohli’s inconsistent run with the bat, there have been calls for the former Indian skipper to be dropped from the side. Former Indian captain Kapil Dev, has been one of the most renowned cricketers who openly called for Kohli to be dropped from the team.
Despite this, the BCCI and the Indian management have backed the 33-year-old and they are hoping to stick with him. Former England cricketer Money Panesar feels that cricket alone is not the reason behind not dropping Virat Kohli.
Panesar hinted that Kohli’s marketability adds to the money made by BCCI, and thus there could be a ‘money factor’ why Virat Kohli is being backed by the team, despite him not having scored a single century since 2019.
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“The difficulty here is that he is the most marketable cricketer in the world. He is probably the one who entered that space after Sachin Tendulkar. So, from a financial perspective, of course, everybody just wants to watch your Virat Kohli bat or see him on the field,” said Monty Panesar during an interaction with TOI.
“Fans love him a lot. We all just love Virat and his intensity. Sometimes, it’s borderline but he’s very much admired in England. So, from the BCCI’s perspective, they’ve got to sit down and decide,” he added.
“When Virat Kohli plays, stadiums are full of sponsors. From a financial perspective, other boards gained so much from Virat Kohli. But is Virat really good for the India side right now?” questioned the Englishman.
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He further continued, “That’s the biggest question that the BCCI needs to sit down with the selectors and work out – that when it comes to the big tournaments, like T20 World Cup or (ODI) World Cup, from a sponsorship perspective, they probably make more money. But then would it mean at the expense of them not winning a T20 World Cup or a 50-over World Cup? That’s the biggest question at the moment. This is going to be very difficult for the likes of coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma.”
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