Virat Kohli steps down as India T20 captain; didn’t want Rohit Sharma as deputy

Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli announced on Thursday that he would step down as captain of the T20 side after this year’s T20 World Cup. Kohli stated that he would continue to represent India in the T20 format as a batsman, but will hand over the captaincy to someone else. 

The 32-year-old arrived at this decision after consulting with coach Ravi Shastri and vice-captain Rohit Sharma. 

“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 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,” said Kohli in his statement. 

Kohli pointed out the immense workload that he has had over the years as the reason why he has stepped down from T20 captaincy. He has stated that he wants to concentrate on ODI and Test cricket going forward and will captain in those two formats. He became the captain of India’s limited-overs side in 2017 after taking over the reins from MS Dhoni. 

Reports have suggested that Kohli took the decision himself and wasn’t pressured by the Indian board to do so. Rohit Sharma, the vice captain of India and captain of IPL side Mumbai Indians, is expected to take over the T20 captaincy from Virat Kohli. 

A PTI report has now suggested that Kohli wanted a younger player to be the vice-captain of the Indian team and not current vice-captain Rohit Sharma. He had recommended the Indian board to name KL Rahul to be India’s vice captain. Rahul has experience of captaining at a high level as he is the captain of IPL side Punjab Kings, while he was also the vice captain of the Indian ODI side when they toured Australia last year. 

This year’s T20 World Cup will take place in UAE and Oman, beginning next month, while another edition of the T20 World Cup will take place next year in Australia. India, meanwhile, will host the 50 over World Cup for the third time in the competition’s history in 2023.