India captain Virat Kohli has announced that he will be stepping down as the captain of the T20 team after the T20 World Cup in the UAE and Oman, which begins next month. In a statement on Twitter and Instagram, Kohli cited excessive workload as the reason behind his decision.
The India batsman said that he feels he need to give himself space to be fully ready to lead the team in Tests and ODIs.
Also read: Virat Kohli to step down as India's T20I captain after T20 World Cup in UAE
Here is a look at Kohli's full statement:
{{/usCountry}}Here is a look at Kohli's full statement:
{{/usCountry}}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.
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 the 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. I have given everything to the Team during my team as T20 Captain and I will continue to do so for the T20 Team as a batsman moving forward.
Of course arriving at this decision took a lot of time. 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. I have also spoken to the BCCI secretary Jay Shah and president Sourav Ganguly along with all the selectors at the same time. I will continue to serve Indian cricket team and the Indian team to the best of ability.