Virat Kohli on Thursday announced that he will step down as India’s Twenty20 International captain after the T20 World Cup in UAE but will continue to lead the side in ODIs and Test cricket.
“I’ve decided to step down as the T20 captain after this T20 World Cup in Dubai in October,” Kohli said in a statement posted on his Twitter page.
The 32-year-old, who became limited-overs captain after MS Dhoni stepped aside in 2017, has faced pressure over his failure to win India either the World Cup or the Champions Trophy. For some time, there has been speculation about Kohli’s future as white-ball captain especially in the backdrop of Rohit Sharma’s brilliant track record of winning five IPL titles for Mumbai Indians.
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Kohli is set to lead his Indian Premier League side Royal Challengers Bangalore in the T20 tournament which resumes Sunday in the United Arab Emirates after a four-month pandemic suspension.
The T20 World Cup will begin two days after the IPL ends on October 15 in the UAE and Oman with the final scheduled on November 14.
Here’s a look at some of the reactions from the cricket community
“Virat has been a true asset for Indian Cricket and has led with aplomb. He is one of the most successful captains in all the formats. The decision has been made keeping in mind the future roadmap.”
— Sourav Ganguly
“It won’t have much of an impact on Team India. Now it’s widely reported that Rohit will become the T20 captain due to his IPL record. It is a settled group and will take little time for the players, who have been around for a while, to adjust to the change.”
— Sunil Gavaskar