Kohli is one of the finest captains, once in a generation cricketer: BCCI
New Delhi(PTI): Virat Kohli is "one of the finest captains" and "once in a generation" cricketer, BCCI said in its rich tribute after the star batter quit as Test captain and asserted that it was a personal decision which the cricket body respects.
Kohli on Saturday ended his seven-year reign as India's most successful Test captain, a day after an unexpected 1-2 series loss against South Africa.
Under Kohli, India won 40 out of 68 Tests, a record which made him one of the most successful Test captains in world cricket.
"I personally thank Virat for his immense contributions as captain of the Indian cricket team. Under his leadership, the Indian cricket team has made rapid strides in all formats of the game. His decision is a personal one and the BCCI respects it immensely," BCCI president Sourav Ganguly said in a statement.
"He will continue to be a very important member of this team and take this team to newer heights with his contributions with the bat under a new captain. Every good thing comes to an end and this has been a very good one," Gnaguly added.
Kohli's strained relations with the BCCI recently made headlines when the star batter quit T20 captaincy and was later sacked as ODI captain. Ganguly had said they had requested Kohli to stay back till the T20 World Cup, a claim which Kohli contradicted.
Kohli has been the most successful Test captain India has ever produced. After taking over the reins from Mahendra Singh Dhoni, he led India in 68 Test matches and secured 40 wins at a win percentage of 58.82.
As Test captain, he registered his first series win against Sri Lanka in 2015, a victory that India registered in the Emerald Island after 22 years.
"Virat Kohli has been one of the finest captains to have ever led the Indian cricket team. His record and contribution towards the team as a leader has been second to none. To lead India in 40 Test wins is proof that he led the side with aplomb," BCCI secretary Jay Shah said.
"He led the team to some of its finest Test match wins in India and overseas including Australia, England, West Indies, Sri Lanka and South Africa and his efforts will inspire the fellow and upcoming cricketers who aspire to represent the country.
"We wish Virat the best for the future and hope that he will continue to make memorable contributions on the field for the Indian team."
Under Kohli's leadership, India also registered their first Test series win in Australia in 2018, clinched series in the West Indies, attained the No.1 spot in Test rankings and later in the subsequent years marched into the maiden ICC World Test Championship Final in 2021.
Kohli also holds the impeccable record of winning 24 out of the 31 Tests played at home as captain, having lost only two Tests.
"A cricketer like Virat comes once in a generation and Indian cricket is fortunate to have him serve the team as a leader," said BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla.
"He captained the side with passion and aggression and played a pivotal part in many of India's memorable wins at home and abroad. We wish him the best for his career ahead."
While Kohli is India's most successful Test skipper, MS Dhoni is second in the list with 27 victories in 60 games and Ganguly comes third with 21 wins.
Kohli also ranks fourth in the list of most victories as Test captain behind South Africa's Graeme Smith (53) and Australian duo of Ricky Ponting (48) and Steve Waugh (41).
"With his never-say-die attitude, Virat gave his all to the side as leader and his fabulous record as a captain speaks for that. From the moment he became India's Test captain, he made sure that India always strives for excellence and dominates world cricket," said Arun Singh Dhumal, BCCI Treasurer.
"While Virat the batsman remained a powerhouse, Virat the captain did not leave any stone unturned, powering the team to some of its finest performances across the globe. I wish him all the very best for the future."
It is expected that Rohit Sharma will now lead India in Tests apart from captaining the side the white-ball games.
As Virat Kohli steps down as Team India’s Test Captain, the Board of Control for Cricket in India congratulates him on an outstanding career as #TeamIndia’s Test Captain.
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 16, 2022
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Single higher education regulator bill tabled in LS; Oppn flags ‘centralisation,' JPC likely
New Delhi: A bill to set up a 13-member body to regulate institutions of higher education was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan introduced the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, which seeks to establish an overarching higher education commission along with three councils for regulation, accreditation, and ensuring academic standards for universities and higher education institutions in India.
Meanwhile, the move drew strong opposition, with members warning that it could weaken institutional autonomy and result in excessive centralisation of higher education in India.
The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, earlier known as the Higher Education Council of India (HECI) Bill, has been introduced in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The proposed legislation seeks to merge three existing regulatory bodies, the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), into a single unified body called the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan.
At present, the UGC regulates non-technical higher education institutions, the AICTE oversees technical education, and the NCTE governs teacher education in India.
Under the proposed framework, the new commission will function through three separate councils responsible for regulation, accreditation, and the maintenance of academic standards across universities and higher education institutions in the country.
According to the Bill, the present challenges faced by higher educational institutions due to the multiplicity of regulators having non-harmonised regulatory approval protocols will be done away with.
The higher education commission, which will be headed by a chairperson appointed by the President of India, will cover all central universities and colleges under it, institutes of national importance functioning under the administrative purview of the Ministry of Education, including IITs, NITs, IISc, IISERs, IIMs, and IIITs.
At present, IITs and IIMs are not regulated by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Government to refer bill to JPC; Oppn slams it
The government has expressed its willingness to refer it to a joint committee after several members of the Lok Sabha expressed strong opposition to the Bill, stating that they were not given time to study its provisions.
Responding to the opposition, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government intends to refer the Bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed examination.
Congress Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari warned that the Bill could result in “excessive centralisation” of higher education. He argued that the proposed law violates the constitutional division of legislative powers between the Union and the states.
According to him, the Bill goes beyond setting academic standards and intrudes into areas such as administration, affiliation, and the establishment and closure of university campuses. These matters, he said, fall under Entry 25 of the Concurrent List and Entry 32 of the State List, which cover the incorporation and regulation of state universities.
Tewari further stated that the Bill suffers from “excessive delegation of legislative power” to the proposed commission. He pointed out that crucial aspects such as accreditation frameworks, degree-granting powers, penalties, institutional autonomy, and even the supersession of institutions are left to be decided through rules, regulations, and executive directions. He argued that this amounts to a violation of established constitutional principles governing delegated legislation.
Under the Bill, the regulatory council will have the power to impose heavy penalties on higher education institutions for violating provisions of the Act or related rules. Penalties range from ₹10 lakh to ₹75 lakh for repeated violations, while establishing an institution without approval from the commission or the state government could attract a fine of up to ₹2 crore.
Concerns were also raised by members from southern states over the Hindi nomenclature of the Bill. N.K. Premachandran, an MP from the Revolutionary Socialist Party representing Kollam in Kerala, said even the name of the Bill was difficult to pronounce.
He pointed out that under Article 348 of the Constitution, the text of any Bill introduced in Parliament must be in English unless Parliament decides otherwise.
DMK MP T.M. Selvaganapathy also criticised the government for naming laws and schemes only in Hindi. He said the Constitution clearly mandates that the nomenclature of a Bill should be in English so that citizens across the country can understand its intent.
Congress MP S. Jothimani from Tamil Nadu’s Karur constituency described the Bill as another attempt to impose Hindi and termed it “an attack on federalism.”
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