Virat Kohli will look to clinch his maiden ICC silverware as captain when he leads India at the ongoing T20 World Cup in UAE and Oman. This also is Kohli's final assignment as a team leader in the shorter format of the game and the 32-year-old will aim to end the stint on a memorable note.
Kohli decided to step down from T20 captaincy in both international and franchise cricket, stressing on the work load factor as the main reason.
Reverse swing expert Wasim Akram and batting legend Sunil Gavaskar lauded Kohli's decision, stating the move could work as a game changer for the cricketer in terms of batting.
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“He (Kohli) realised it's time to handover the captaincy to someone else now and I just want to play my shots in T20. And when he'll come into this mode, I don't think anyone will be able to stop him,” Akram noted during the 'Salaam Cricket' Show on Sports Tak.
Former India skipper Gavaskar, who was a part of the discussion, echoed similar views, stating giving up captaincy duties will enable Kohli to devote more time on his personal form.
{{/usCountry}}Former India skipper Gavaskar, who was a part of the discussion, echoed similar views, stating giving up captaincy duties will enable Kohli to devote more time on his personal form.
{{/usCountry}}“When you're a captain, you have to start investing yourself for the team. How to encourage the ones not in form be it batter or a bowler. These are certain duties of a captain who while following it sometimes tend to neglect his own form. So when you're not the captain, you can focus on your game and I feel it will be good. You don't have to think about the added responsibility, and can completely focus on yourself and score big,” said the 'Little Master'.
India will start their T20 World Cup campaign against Pakistan on October 24, and will then lock horns with New Zealand and Afghanistan.