Virat Kohli clarifies on Karun Nair omission

In the pre-match conference, India captain, Virat Kohli was asked about his take on the issue and the captain made it clear that it’s not his ‘job as a captain to speak’ on the issue.

Kohli made it clear that as a team they have to do what they are doing.

Much before Indian players assembled in Rajkot for the series-opening Test against the West Indies, Indian cricketing circle was abuzz with the exclusion of Karun Nair from the squad.

The Karnataka batsman, who was benched in the England tour without being handed a single game, was not considered for selection for the home series. While Nair had ruled that there was no communication from the team management or the selectors, the chairman of the selection committee, M.S.K. Prasad, had gone on record claiming that he has spoken to Nair elaborately.

In the pre-match conference, India captain, Virat Kohli was asked about his take on the issue and the captain made it clear that it’s not his ‘job as a captain to speak’ on the issue.

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“The selectors have already spoken about it and it is not my place to say. There are three selectors (actually, five. Gagan Khoda and Jatin Paranjape were reinstated last month), who are doing their job and as I say, people conveniently merge everything and make it a circle... where everyone's given that opportunity or doing their job, not focusing on what's happening or being spoken on the outside,” he said.

“So, if a person has spoken about a certain thing, it should be cleared then. It shouldn't be brought in here again. That's exactly what I mean, there are three guys doing the job of selecting the team, and the chief selector has already spoken to the player of what I know. I don't think I am in a place to comment about that, the selection is not my part of the job, it is upon three individuals to do what they are doing,” Kohli said.

He also made it clear that as a team they have to do what they are doing. “I think everyone's doing their job and everyone should be aware of who's doing what they are concerned and I think people should also be aware of that. It is not a joint thing everywhere, I think that's the confusion right now that people are combining everything in one space and thinking everything is happening from one place, which is not true. The selector has already clarified that and I don't think I am in a place to speak about that, I think it's not my job as a captain to speak about that (again),” the India captain stated rather bluntly.