File Picture
In a stunning statement , India cricket team skipper and superstar batsman Virat Kohli has decided to step down from T20I captaincy after the ICC T20 World Cup in November this year.
Kohli explained his decision to leave the T20I captaincy in a statement on Twitter. The India skipper said he needs to give himself space in order to play all three formats for the country.
In statement released on his twitter handle he explained the reasons
?? ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Ds7okjhj9J
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) September 16, 2021
“I have been fortunate enough to not only represent India but also lead the Indian Cricket Team to my utmost capability. I thank everyone who has supported me in my journey as the Captain of the Indian Cricket Team,” Kohli said in a statement.
“I couldn’t have done it without them — the boys, the support staff, the selection committee, my coaches, and each and every Indian who prayed for us to win.
“Understanding workload is a very important thing and considering my immense workload over the last 8-9 years playing all 3 formats and captaining regularly for last 5-6 years, I feel I need to give myself space to be fully ready to lead the Indian Team in Test and ODI Cricket. I have given everything to the Team during my time as T20 Captain and I will continue to do so for the T20 Team as a batsman moving forward,” he added.
Virat will continue to lead in the ODI and Test format. Rohit Sharma is widely tipped to replace Kohli as T20 skipper. Virat is currently in Dubai for the second leg of the IPL 2021 where he is leading the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Interestingly , BCCI top mandarins recently rubbished reports of Virat stepping down as skipper after the T20 World Cup . The trio include Secretary Jay Shah, Treasurer Arun Dhumal and Vice- president Rajiv Shukla. BCCI president Sourav Ganguly did not react to reports.
