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Virat Kohli to step down as India’s T20I captain after T20 World Cup in UAE

Written by Abhishek Patil

Virat Kohli’s decision to step away from India’s leadership role in the T20 format may not have come as a surprise, days of reports hinting that India may adopt a split captaincy to manage Kohli workload. Kohli cited the same key factor for his decision. Kohli will step down after India’s T20 World Cup campaign, starting next month, and in all likelihood, Rohit Sharma will take over the reins for India in the shorter format. The decision, announced on social media, has Twitter abuzz, for obvious reasons, with fans remembering Kohli’s record as India’s T20 captain.

‘King Kohli’ became one of the top trends immediately after the news broke, alongside ‘good decision.’

Kohli said he has had lengthy discussions with head coach Ravi Shastri and white-ball skipper Rohit 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.

“After a lot of contemplation and discussion 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,” Kohli said in a lengthy Instagram and Twitter post.

 

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Abhishek Patil