Virat Kohli announces to step down from T20 captaincy after World Cup

NEW DELHI: Indian captain Virat Kohli on Thursday announced to step down as as white-ball captain after the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup.

Kohli took to his Twitter handle and announced his decision to step down as T20 captain after the tournament in UAE.

Kohli has played 90 T20Is for India, and captained them in 45 of those matches, leading the side to victory in 27 of them.

The 32-year-old stated that he’d come to the decision after “a lot of contemplation and discussions with my close people” as well as the leadership group, including Ravi Shastri, the head coach, and Rohit Sharma, India’s limited-overs vice-captain.

"Arriving at this decision took a lot of time," Kohli said in his statement, released on social media. "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 have decided to step down as the T20 captain after this T20 World Cup in Dubai in October.

“I have also spoken to the (BCCI) secretary Mr. Jay Shah and the president of the BCCI 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 cited the "immense workload" he has been managing for most of the last decade, as an all-format player and as captain, as the reason for his decision.

“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 the 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," Kohli said.

“I have given everything to the team in my time as T20 captain, and will continue to do so for the T20 team as a batsman moving forward."

The BCCI are as yet to announce Kohli's successor as captain in the format.

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