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

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday announced that Mr. Virat Kohli has decided to step down as captain of the T20I side after the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, 2021.
 
Mr. Kohli will continue to be available for selection for the T20 format post the upcoming ICC event in 2021, which is hosted by the BCCI in U.A.E. and Oman.

 

Kohli said he has had lengthy discussions with head coach Ravi Shastri and white-ball skipper Rohit before coming to the conclusion that he needs to concentrate more on ODI and Test cricket both as a batsman and as captain to take the team to new heights. 

“After a lot of contemplation and discussion with my close people, Ravi Bhai and also Rohit, who has 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,” Kohli said in a lengthy Instagram and Twitter post. 

 

Though the BCCI is yet to name a successor, Rohit is likely to be the frontrunner. “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,” Kohli said. “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.”

In a BCCI statement, president Ganguly said the decision was made keeping “the future roadmap” in mind.

“Virat has been a true asset for Indian Cricket and has led with aplomb,” he said. : He is one of the most successful captains in all the formats. The decision has been made keeping in mind the future roadmap. We thank Virat for his tremendous performance as the T20I Captain. We wish him all the best for the upcoming World Cup and beyond and hope that he continues to score plenty of runs for India.”