Spin great Bishan Singh Bedi opined India had considered limited-overs form for selecting the Playing XI and that ultimately led to their defeats in the first two of the ongoing three-match Test series in South Africa.
Bedi slammed Kohli and the team management's decision to drop vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane in both the Cape Town and the Centurion Tests.
A lot of eyebrows were raised when India preferred Rohit Sharma over the Mumbai batsman, who had been one of their most consistent overseas batsmen. Kohli even justified the selection call, saying the decision was made based on "current form" of the two players.
Also read: Former captain slams Virat Kohli over angry outburst at journalist after Centurion defeat
Rahane has an away average of 53.44 from 24 Tests. He had scored 209 runs at 69.66 when the team toured South Africa in 2013 for a two-Test series. However, he had a poor series at home against Sri Lanka last year, in which he managed only 17 runs from three Tests.
On the other hand, Rohit slammed a century and a couple of half centuries in the Test series against Sri Lanka and also went on to hit his third ODI double century in the ODI series ahead of the tour to South Africa.
"It is not my job to pick the team. I can only say that vice-captain, who is part of the decision-making, is not playing. I can't agree with that," Bedi told the Press Trust of India news agency after India's 135-run loss to South Africa in the second Test.
He added: "Whether you like it or not, he is a human being. Rahane is not going to take this development positively. Why did you make him vice-captain if you had to drop him?
"It looks like ODI form was preferred for picking the eleven, which is not the right thing. Test matches are a different ball game and this series has proved that."
There was no preparation: Bedi
Bedi also said India had wasted time by playing Sri Lanka at home ahead of the "tough" tour to South Africa that required "intense preparation".
Notably, India hosted strugglers Sri Lanka for three Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is in November-December last year, months after the Asian giants crushed their neighbours on the road.
"There was no preparation. We wasted our time with the Sri Lankans. There was no sense in playing a weak team for one and a half months when we should be preparing for South Africa," Bedi said.
"It was supposed to be a tough tour and it required intense preparation. You beat Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka and you then call them to India, for what?" he added.
"The Indian cricketers would have been better off playing domestic cricket or preparing themselves exclusively for the tour."
