Twitter erupts over Virat Kohli’s announcement to step down as T20 skipper

New Delhi: Team India skipper Virat Kohli on Thursday announced that he will step down as captain of T20 cricket after ICC T20 World Cup 2021. The T20 World Cup is set to get underway in UAE and Oman from October 17 to November 14.

Taking to Twitter, Kohli on Thursday evening where he revealed in a statement that, “I feel I need to give myself space to be fully ready to lead the Indian team in Test and ODI cricket.”

🇮🇳 ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Ds7okjhj9J

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) September 16, 2021

?? ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Ds7okjhj9J

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) September 16, 2021

Kohli made his first appearance as a captain in 2017, after the former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni resigned before a white-ball series against England at home.

The 32-year-old skipper focussed on “understanding workload” of a player “over the 8-9 years” playing “all the three formats.” He further stated, “Of course, arriving at this decision took a lot of time.”

Kohli’s announcement came as a surprise for the cricketing fraternity as netizens and cricket fans were shocked and stunned. They shared their opinions on Twitter and Instagram.

Here are some Twitter reactions:

🤔🤔🤔
💔💔💔@imVkohli we are with you in your Decision. I am sure we will win this #worldcup under your captaincy.
Wish you All the best.#captaincy https://t.co/ynX37TrO0z

— Munaf Patel (@munafpa99881129) September 16, 2021

???
???@imVkohli we are with you in your Decision. I am sure we will win this #worldcup under your captaincy.
Wish you All the best.#captaincy https://t.co/ynX37TrO0z

— Munaf Patel (@munafpa99881129) September 16, 2021

Virat's intensity was insane. I had thought he would give up the captaincy of #RCB which would give him two months off as leader. Hopefully this can give his mind the rest it needs and who knows, find him another peak as a T20 batsman.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) September 16, 2021

Virat’s intensity was insane. I had thought he would give up the captaincy of #RCB which would give him two months off as leader. Hopefully this can give his mind the rest it needs and who knows, find him another peak as a T20 batsman.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) September 16, 2021

Thanks @imVKohli for your contribution as the #TeamIndia captain. As a young talent the focus and determination you have showed as the captain is unmatched. The most impressive aspect was the way of maintaining balance between captaincy and individual performance.

— Jay Shah (@JayShah) September 16, 2021

Thanks @imVKohli for your contribution as the #TeamIndia captain. As a young talent the focus and determination you have showed as the captain is unmatched. The most impressive aspect was the way of maintaining balance between captaincy and individual performance.

— Jay Shah (@JayShah) September 16, 2021

Virat Kohli’s contribution to the Indian T20 cricket team as captain was immense. It can never be forgotten. This is his personal decision and we respect it. @imVkohli @BCCI https://t.co/JtGIcJBkom

— Rajeev Shukla (@ShuklaRajiv) September 16, 2021

Virat Kohli’s contribution to the Indian T20 cricket team as captain was immense. It can never be forgotten. This is his personal decision and we respect it. @imVkohli @BCCI https://t.co/JtGIcJBkom

— Rajeev Shukla (@ShuklaRajiv) September 16, 2021

Virat Kohli 💔

Captaincy brought the best out of him. Hope he remains the best Indian batter in T20s for a long time now.#captaincy #CricketTwitter

— Mohan Manikanta (@mohan_moneycant) September 16, 2021

Virat Kohli ?

Captaincy brought the best out of him. Hope he remains the best Indian batter in T20s for a long time now.#captaincy #CricketTwitter

— Mohan Manikanta (@mohan_m2299) September 16, 2021

A total of 45 T2OIs have been played under Kohli’s captaincy, under which 27 games were won while 14 were lost, including a T20 World Cup to be played, taking the winning percentile to 65.11.