Indian former skipper Virat Kohli steps down from Test captaincy with an immediate effect on Saturday (January 15) after he stepped down from T20I captaincy recently.
Indian former skipper Virat Kohli steps down from Test captaincy with an immediate effect on Saturday (January 15) after a 1-2 loss in the recently concluded Test series against South Africa. Kohli had shocked his fans all over the world after stepping down from T20I captaincy just after the T20 World at the UAE.
The 33-year-old has announced his decision on social media that left everyone stunned in the cricket fraternity. Now, he will play as a batter in the Indian team after being subsequently removed from the ODI captaincy as well.
“It’s been 7 years of hard work, toil, and relentless perseverance every day to take the team in the right direction. I’ve done the job with absolute honesty and left nothing out there. Everything has to come to a halt at some stage and for me as Test Captain of India, it’s now. There have been many ups and also some downs along the journey, but never has there been a lack of effort or lack of belief. I have always believed in giving my 120 percent in everything I do, and if I can’t do that, I know it’s not the right thing to do. I have absolute clarity in my heart and I cannot be dishonest to my team,”
Virat Kohli posted on Twitter.
“I want to thank the BCCI for giving me the opportunity to lead my country for such a long period of time and more importantly to all the teammates who bought into the vision I had for the team from day one and never gave up in any situation. You guys have made this journey so memorable and beautiful. To Ravi Bhai and the support group who were the engine behind this vehicle that moved us upwards in Test Cricket consistently, you all have played a massive role in bringing this vision to life. Lastly, a big thank you to MS Dhoni who believed in me as a Captain and found me to be an able individual who could take Indian Cricket forward,”
he added.
Virat Kohli led India in 2014 at Adelaide for the first time under the absence of MS Dhoni in a Test series but he got the full-time captaincy in the same series immediately after Dhoni retired from the Test series.
After a few years passed, Kohli with his brilliant captaincy took control of the other two formats as well after Dhoni left the cricket and ultimately he became the most successful captain of team India.
Under Kohli’s captaincy, India reached the milestone in the Test rankings and managed to win a Test series in Australia for the first time in their history in their backyard, in 2018-19. While Australia had a couple of flaws in the batting department in that series, India under Kohli and the deputy Ajinkiya Rahane returned to those lands two years later to beat them again.
At the British land, India is currently leading the series in England by 2-1 and will return this year to play the fifth and final Test which was postponed due to Covid-19.
In the first-ever World Test Championship, India reached the final but ended up losing to New Zealand. Overall, India has won 40 Tests under Kohli with only Graeme Smith, Ricky Ponting, and Steve Waugh ahead of him on the all-time list.
