Virat Kohli will step down as India’s T20I captain after the T20 World Cup in the UAE next month, he announced in a statement on Twitter on Thursday.
Taking to the micro-blogging website, the run-machine tweeted: “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.”
Kohli said he has had lengthy discussions with head coach Ravi Shastri and opener Rohit Sharma before coming to the conclusion that he needs to concentrate more on ODI and Test cricket both as a batsman and as captain to take the team to new heights.
“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,” he added.
Kohli also said that he has informed about his decision to the Indian board.
“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. 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,” he added.
Meanwhile, Kohli said that he will continue to serve the national team as captain in the Tests and ODIs.
“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,” he added.
Notably, Kohli has led India in 45 T20Is so far. Under him, the Indian team managed to win 27 games while lost 14 affairs with two games having no result while remaining two being ties.
His success percentage as captain in T20Is has been 65.11.