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'What will happen if India win World Cup': Irfan Pathan ‘surprised’ with Virat Kohli's decision to quit T20I captaincy
The T20 World Cup is barely a month away and Kohli’s announcement right before the mega ICC event has left former all-rounder Irfan Pathan a bit puzzled.
Virat Kohli’s decision to quit India’s T20I captaincy has led to a series of discussions among the experts of the game. After going through India skipper’s lengthy social media posts, people have begun speculating about the next leader of Team India while some are still surprised over the timing of the announcement.
The T20 World Cup is barely a month away and Kohli’s announcement right before the mega ICC event has left former all-rounder Irfan Pathan a bit puzzled.
Speaking with Sportstar, Pathan admitted that he was taken by surprise by Kohli’s massive decision as, in the former’s opinion, players generally take such a call after the conclusion of big tournaments.
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“The timing of the announcement has definitely surprised me because you normally take such calls after a tournament. I wonder what will happen if we go to win the T20 World Cup,” Pathan said.
“He has been a wonderful leader and we have seen what he can do in Test cricket in terms of leadership. There will obviously be questions of him not winning ICC tournaments, but I am sure he has taken the decision after a lot of thought. It is not an easy decision for anyone, but I hope that for the legacy of Virat, we win this World Cup. I hope he can finish it in style by winning the title,” he added.
Pathan pointed out at the noises being made about Kohli not winning an ICC or IPL trophy so far in his captaincy career. The cricketer-turned-commentator lavished praise on the India captain, wishing him luck for his first-ever T20 World Cup as Team India skipper.
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“There will always be talks about him not winning an ICC title or an IPL trophy. But then, one must remember that he will be leading in an ICC T20 event for the first time. He is a fighter – be it as a leader or as a batsman – and I really wish him all the luck,” Pathan said.
Under Virat Kohli’s captaincy, India haven’t lost a T20I series since February 2019. So far in his career, Kohli has led India in 45 T20Is. The men-in-blue won on 27 occasions and lost 14 games.
