BCCI Secretary Jay Shah on Thursday said that while Virat Kohli will relinquish his T20 captaincy after the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, he will continue to contribute as a player and senior member of the side “in shaping the future course of Indian cricket.”
“We have a clear roadmap for Team India. Considering the workload and ensuring that we have a smooth transition, Viral Kohli has decided to step down as T20I Captain after the upcoming World Cup,” Shah said in a statement.
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“I have been in discussions with Virat and the leadership team for the last 6 months and the decision has been thought through. Virat will continue to contribute as a player and as a senior member of the side in shaping the future course of Indian cricket,” he added.
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In a statement on Thursday evening, Kohli announced his decision to step down as the T20 captain after the T20 World Cup, which will be played in Dubai in October.
“Understanding workload is a very important thing and considering my immense workload over the last 8-9 years playing all three formats and captaining regularly for last five to six years, I feel I need to give myself space to be fully ready to lead Indian team in Test and ODI cricket,” he said in the statement.
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Kohli led the team in 45 games in the T20 format and managed to record a 65% win percentage over four years. He won T20 series in Australia, England, New Zealand, West Indies and South Africa.
Following his announcement, several big names from the cricketing world wished him the best of luck.
“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,” Cricket commentator and expert Harsha Bhogale tweeted.
