Virat Kohli had recently announced that he will be stepping down as Team India’s T20I skipper after the 2021 T20 World Cup comes to an end. He also made it to the headlines when the news of him suggesting the BCCI selection committee to remove his deputy Rohit Sharma from his position of India’s white-ball vice-captain went viral. As per the reports, Kohli wanted KL Rahul to be the next India’s vice-captain in ODIs while Rishabh Pant in T20Is.
He wanted to remove Rohit Sharma from the post as the cricketer is now 34 years old. Meanwhile, talking about his decision to step down from T20I captaincy after the T20 World Cup, Virat Kohli stated in a post that this decision was hard to make and he took “a lot of time” to make this decision after consulting with “Ravi Bhai and also Rohit”. He said “Of course, arriving at this decision took a lot of time. After a lot of contemplation and discussions with my close people. Ravi [Shastri] Bhai and also Rohit [Sharma], who has 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.”
As per a BCCI insider, he stated “Virat knew that he would have been removed from white ball captaincy. If the team doesn’t do well at the UAE World T20, he was gone for good as far as white-ball leadership is concerned. He just reduced a bit of pressure on himself as it would seem that he is there on his terms. It might not happen for 50 overs if the performance in T20 hits a downward spiral.”
The BCCI official stated that Kohli is never available for communication. “In case of MS (Dhoni), his room would be open 24×7, and players could just walk in, play the PS4, have a meal and let their hair down and if required talk cricket… Beyond the ground, Kohli is incommunicado.” The official praised Rohit and added “Rohit has shades of MSD but differently. He takes the junior players out for meals, gives them a friendly pat on the back when they are down, and knows the mental aspects of a player’s make-up inside out.”
