BREAKING NEWS: Virat Kohli to Step Down as India T20I Captain after T20 World Cup. Here is the official update

Virat Kohli to step down as India T20 captain: In a shocking revelation, Virat Kohli has revealed that he will step down as India’s T20I captain after this year’s ICC T20 World Cup 2021. Virat has taken this big decision considering his immense workload over the last 5-6 years representing the national team across the three formats of the game. The upcoming edition of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 is scheduled to start from 17 October to 14 November in the UAE and Oman.

Virat Kohli to Step Down as India T20I Captain

Since the preceding week, there were several reports doing the rounds in the media about Virat Kohli handing over the captaincy reigns to Rohit Sharma possibly after the T20 World Cup. However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) rubbished all such reports. But now, Virat himself has surprisingly decided to step down only as the T20I captain and wants to focus on his batting and leadership duties in Test cricket and ODIs. The 32-year-old also mentioned that he had a discussion with Team Indian head coach Ravi Shastri, vice-captain Rohit Sharma on taking this big call. He also had a prior conversation with BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and Secretary Jay Shah.

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— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) September 16, 2021

“I have been fortunate enough to not only represent India but also lead the Indian Cricket Team to my utmost capability. I thank everyone who has supported me in 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,” wrote Virat Kohli on Twitter.

“Understanding workload is a very important thing and considering my immense workload over the last 8-9 years playing all 3 formats and captaining regularly for last 5-6 years, I feel I need to give myself space to be fully ready to lead the Indian Team in Test and ODI Cricket. I have given everything to the Team during my time as T20 Captain and I will continue to do so for the T20 Team as a batsman moving forward.

“Of course, arriving at this decision took a lot of time. After a lot of contemplation and discussions with my close people, Ravi bhai and also Rohit, who have been an essential part of the leadership group, I’ve decided to step down as the T20 Captain after this T20 World Cup in Dubai in October.

“I have also spoken to the secretary Mr Jay Shah and the President of BCCI Mr Sourav Ganguly along with all the selectors about the same. I will continue to serve Indian Cricket and the Indian Team to the best of my ability,” Kohli added.

Who will be the next India T20 Captain?

It is almost obvious that being the current vice-captain, Rohit Sharma is certain to be the next T20I captain for India. After winning a total of five Indian Premier League (IPL) trophies and the Nidahas Trophy with the national side, there were lot of talks going around about Rohit being the best possible candidate to lead India in white-ball cricket. It will be interesting to see whether Virat Kohli’s current decision will have any impact of India’s upcoming campaign at the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 or not.

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