Virat Kohli to step down as India’s T20I captain after 2021 World T20

Kohli
Virat Kohli pictured after winning a T20I series

Indian national cricket team skipper Virat Kohli has announced that he will be stepping down from the captaincy in the T20 format after the completion of the 2021 ICC World T20.

The 2021 ICC World T20 is set to take place in UAE and Oman and will commence on 17th October with the final scheduled on November 14 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Also read: India’s squad for the upcoming World T20 campaign 

Virat Kohli posted his statement on Twitter thanking everyone who supported him in this journey whilst stating workload as the major reason behind taking this call.

He said,

“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. 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.”

He continued,

“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.”

The modern cricketing legend further talked about he will continue being a part of the Indian T20 team despite not being the leader of the group in the near future.

He concluded,

“Of course, arriving at this decision took a lot of time. After a lot of contemplation and discussions with my close people, Ravi bhai and also Rohit, who has been an essential part of the leadership group, I’ve decided to step down as the T20 Captain after this T20 World Cup in Dubai in October. I have also spoken to the secretary Mr. Jay Shah and the President of BCCI Mr. Sourav Ganguly along with all the selectors about the same. I will continue to serve Indian Cricket and the Indian Team to the best of my ability.”

So far, Kohli has led India in 45 T20Is winning 60% of the matches as India has bagged 27 wins and lost only 14 matches, i.e. less than 33% of the total matches under his captaincy. The upcoming T20 World Cup campaign will be Kohli’s big chance to win a T20 trophy under his captaincy as he has failed to win a single IPL title despite captaining Royal Challengers Bangalore for more than a decade now.

On the other hand, Rohit Sharma has won 4 Indian Premier League trophies under his captaincy and 5 as a player. The Mumbai Indians skipper would be looking forward to taking on the mantle of the Indian team in the shortest format and lead them to success in the 2022 T20 World Cup set to take place in Australia.

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