Mumbai: Virat Kohli announced through his social media accounts that he would step down as T20I captain of the Indian cricket team at the end of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup in UAE and Oman, scheduled to be held from October 17 to November 14.
The 32-year-old star cricketer said stepping down from the position would allow him to focus on being “fully ready” to lead the Indian team in Tests and ODIs.
Kohli, who had taken over captaincy in the limited-overs formats after MS Dhoni’s resignation from the role in 2017, will be leading India at the T20 World Cup for the first time next month. He has in the past been part of the teams that reached the final of the 2014 ICC T20 World Cup and the semi-final of the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup, respectively.
Kohli’s move surprised fans, cricketers and pundits alike and many took to social media to react to the announcement.
“Virat’s intensity was insane. I had thought he would give up the captaincy of #RCB which would give him two months off as leader. Hopefully this can give his mind the rest it needs and who knows, find him another peak as a T20 batsman,” wrote cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle on his Twitter account.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah thanked Kohli for his contribution as captain. “Thanks @imVKohli for your contribution as the #TeamIndia captain. As a young talent the focus and determination you have showed as the captain is unmatched. The most impressive aspect was the way of maintaining balance between captaincy and individual performance,” he tweeted.AGENCIES