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Kohli’s brother tears into BCCI; alleges Virat, Rohit were 'removed' from Tests: 'This happens when you boss around'
Vikas Kohli's posts, later deleted, came soon after India lost two quick wickets in their chase of 549 on Day 4, with another humiliating defeat looming.
As India stand on the brink of a second home Test series whitewash in 12 months, Virat Kohli's brother, Vikas, tore into head coach Gautam Gambhir and the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee, blaming them for the team’s steep decline in a format they once dominated. His posts, later deleted, came soon after India lost two quick wickets in their chase of 549 on Day 4 in Guwahati, with another humiliating defeat looming.
Between December 2012 and October 2024, India didn’t lose a single Test series at home — a stretch widely hailed as one of the greatest runs in Test cricket history. It was a team shaped under Kohli’s leadership before he passed the baton in early 2022 to Rohit Sharma. Not only were India unbeatable at home, Kohli’s side also became one of the most formidable travelling units ever, winning back-to-back Border-Gavaskar series in Australia.
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On Instagram’s Threads, Vikas highlighted the stark contrast between those eras, noting that a team once aiming to conquer overseas conditions is now struggling to win at home. He then took a subtle dig at the BCCI, calling the decline a result of their “unnecessary” and stubborn changes to the side.
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"There was a time that we played to win even in overseas conditions.... Now we are playing to save the match....even in india.. This is what happens when u try to boss around and change things unnecessary which were not broken....," Vikas wrote in the Threads post, which he later deleted.
In a separate post that also went viral, Vikas again took aim at the BCCI, asserting that Rohit and Kohli did not step away from Test cricket but were “removed.”
He contrasted India’s approach with South Africa’s, saying the Proteas stuck to the basics of “playing a proper Test match team,” while India opted to sideline senior players, overload the XI with all-rounders, and even push Washington Sundar up to No. 3. Vikas added that although he still hopes India can script a miracle on the final day in Guwahati, there must be accountability for the situation the team currently finds itself in.
The other post read: "So lets break it down: Team India strategy: remove senior experienced players. Remove proper 3/4/5 batmen. Play bowler at no 3. Use all allrounders…….
SOUTH AFRICA STRATEGY: Play proper test match team: Specialist openers, Specialist no 3/4/5/6 batters, Specialist spinners, Specialist fast bowlers and maybe 1 all rounder …
Though I really want team India to win but questions needs to be asked now… WHO IS RESPONSIBLE???"
India are now staring at a second home Test series whitewash in four assignments since Gautam Gambhir took over as head coach last July. After opening his tenure with a win against Bangladesh in September, India suffered a home defeat to New Zealand and then conceded the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. Those back-to-back losses pushed India from being on the cusp of a WTC final spot in the 2023–25 cycle to getting eliminated.
In the aftermath of the retirements of Kohli, Rohit and Ravichandran Ashwin, India managed a 2–2 draw in England under Shubman Gill. There remains a view, however, that the side should have beaten a depleted Ben Stokes-led unit. They then defeated West Indies at home, seemingly stabilising under the new regime. But just when it looked like India had regained their footing, South Africa have delivered a sobering reminder of the challenges still ahead.
