Virat Kohli, on Thursday, announced that he will be stepping down as India’s T20 skipper post the 2021 World Cup

“I have fortunate enough to not only represent India but also lead the Indian Cricket team to my utmost capability. I thank everyone who has supported my journey as the Captain of the Indian Cricket Team. I couldn’t have done it without them — the boys, the support staff, the selection committee, my coaches and each and every Indian who prayed for us to win,” said Virat Kohli, one of India’s most successful cricket captains, on Twitter. 

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Virat Kohli’s record as captain in T20Is:

In the 45 matches Virat Kohli led India, the team managed to win 27 and suffered a loss in 14 games. 

Matches – 45

Won – 27

Lost – 14

Tied – 2

N/R – 2

The 32-year-old is currently the second most successful T20 captain, going by win percentage, who have lead for at least 40 games.  

Most successful T20I captains

Win% – Captain (Mts-Won-Lost-Nr)

80.77 – Asghar Afghan (52-42-10-0)

64.44 – Virat Kohli (45-29-14-2)

62.50 – Faf du Plessis (40-25-15-0)

60.94 – Eoin Morgan (64-39-24-1)

59.57 – Darren Sammy (47-28-17-2)

58.33 – MS Dhoni (72-42-28-2)

During his tenure that lasted roughly four years, Kohli won T20 series in Australia, England, New Zealand, West Indies and South Africa. 

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.

“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,” Kohli said in a statement on his Twitter page.

“I have given my everything to the Team during my time as T20 captain and I will continue to do so for the T20 captain and will continue to do so for the T20 team as a batsman moving forward,” he further added.

The decision, Kohli said, was taken after consulting head coach Ravi Shastri, his heir apparent Rohit, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah.