It’s official: Virat Kohli to quit T20 captaincy, after T20 World Cup next month

New Delhi: Indian skipper Virat Kohli is set to give up captaincy after the T20 World Cup tournament.

Kohli’s announcement comes as a big shock to entire cricketing fraternity as well as lakhs of his fans.

According to reports, Rohit Sharma will be the new Captain for ODI and T20 Teams. Virat will continue as the Captain for the test team.

The skipper himself took to Twitter to share news of his stepping down as T20 captain.

“I have given my everything to the team in last few years during my tenure as T20 Captain. And, I will continue to do so for T20 as batsman. This took a lot of time to decide. I have decided to step down as T20 captain after the T20 World Cup tournament in Dubai in October” Kohli shared on Twitter.

“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,” Kohli said in a statement.

“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 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 time as T20 Captain and I will continue to do so for the T20 Team as a batsman moving forward,” he added.

Kohli said he arrived at his decision after discussing with head coach Ravi Shastri and opening batsman Rohit Sharma.

“Of course, 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’ve decided to step down as the T20 Captain after this T20 World Cup in Dubai in October,” said Kohli.

“I have also spoken to the secretary Mr Jay Shah and the President of BCCI Mr 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,” he added.

India and Pakistan will be locking horns on October 24 in a group-stage encounter in the T20 World Cup. The tournament will get underway from October 17, with the final to be played in Dubai on November 14.