Virat Kohli's absence leads to war of words between BCCI and Star Sports: Reports

Without a doubt, Virat Kohli's absence has left the Indian cricket fraternity divided as one section of the fans and former players believe that the Indian skipper should have played the ongoing Asia Cup and taken a rest during the series against West Indies while another section feels that the selectors have done the right thing by giving Kohli a much-needed rest.

It is very clear that the Indian selectors' decision not to pick Kohli in the Indian squad did not go down well with many and this includes the official broadcasters of the tournament, Star Sports. According to reports in Mumbai Mirror, the absence of the 29-year-old batsman from the Indian squad has led to a war of words between the BCCI and their regulators and commercial partners, Star Sports.

According to the broadcasters, their TV ratings soar when Kohli bats while his dismissal leads to a slump in viewership and that is the reason why they are unhappy with the Indian board for not including their star batsman in their squad for Asia Cup.

"Star India have claimed that Kohli’s absence from the fortnight-long tournament will have serious commercial implications, along with the erosion of the competitive value of the event. The broadcaster has reportedly written to the Asian Cricket Council stating that the implicit clauses in the eight-year agreement have not been honoured," the report said.

The reports also added that BCCI has responded to Star's claims and have pointed out that the broadcasters do not have the right to give their opinion on matters related to squad selection.

Kohli has been suffering from a back injury for a while now and with some important tours coming up, it is a debatable decision by the Indian selectors to rest Kohli for the Asia Cup as they could have easily done it during the home series against West Indies instead of Asia Cup where India are likely to play their arch-rival Pakistan thrice.