Virat Kohli sent shock waves across the cricket community when he announced he would step down from the captaincy in Tests. The announcement brought a surprising end to a spectacular captaincy career of more than seven years, as Indian cricket reached glorious highs under Kohli. However, the 33-year-old’s stint as captain ended in disappointment, with him stepping down just a day after India’s 1-2 series loss to South Africa.

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Former England captain Kevin Pietersen, citing a reason for Kohli’s decision to step down as Test captain, said that it is difficult for players like him to perform at the best of their abilities in harsh bio-bubble environments. Pietersen is currently taking part in the Legends League Cricket.

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Kohli had earlier relinquished the T20 captaincy after the World Cup last year, which led to a significant miscommunication with BCCI, leading to his removal from ODI leadership.

According to Pietersen, people who are critical of modern-day sportsmen are foolish because it is very hard to play in bio-bubbles.

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“It will be very unfair to be too harsh, to be critical. Because you have not looked at Virat Kohli. Kohli needs crowds, he gets going (from it), he is an entertainer;” he told PTI.

He added that it is very difficult for Kolhi’s personality to perform to the best of his abilities in the bubble.

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The former England cricketer said that he was not surprised with Kohli stepping down from his position as Test captain as a leadership role adds more pressure. Virat wants just a little bit of a break from that extra pressure because it’s  difficult playing in these bubbles.

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Pietersen told PTI that “It’s very difficult to judge all international sportsmen, be it premier league footballers or any sportsman around the world, playing in a pandemic.” Kevin Pietersen also backed Rohit Sharma to lead India across all formats.