BREAKING: Virat Kohli to quit T20 captaincy after T20 World Cup 2021
Indian captain Virat Kohli announced through his social media handles that he will quit captaincy in the shortest format of the game after the T20 World Cup is done. The 32-year-old took charge of Indian limited-overs captaincy in January 2017, after MS Dhoni announced he was stepping down from the role.
Virat captained India in 47 T20I games, winning 27 of them and losing 17 times. The upcoming T20 World Cup will be his first and last ICC assignment in the shortest format as a captain and despite not mentioning it clearly, Kohli hinted in his statement that Rohit Sharma might be taking over the reins from here on.
This news breaks in just a few days after Times of India made a headline on their front page, saying Kohli will step down from white ball captaincy. Despite BCCI secretary Jay Shah dismissing those reports, it comes in as no surprise for many Indian fans, who have been batting for a multiple-captain system in this vastly growing age of Cricket.
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) September 16, 2021
“Discussed this Ravi bhai and Rohit” – Virat Kohli
Kohli also mentioned that he discussed the decision with head coach Ravi Shastri and vice-captain Rohit Sharma, who have been an immense part of the leadership group over the last few years. Rohit, who has won the Indian Premier League five times and an Asia Cup in his trophy cabinet as a captain, is the usual suspect to take over.
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“Understanding workload is a very important thing and considering my immense workload over the last 8-9 years playing all three formats and captaining regularly for last five to six years, I feel I need to give myself space to be fully ready to lead Indian team in Test and ODI cricket,” Kohli said in a lengthy Instagram and Twitter post.
“After a lot of contemplation and discussion with my close people, Ravi bhai and also Rohit, who have been an essential part of the leadership group, I have decided to step down as the T20 captain after this T20 World Cup in Dubai in October,” He added.
More to follow.