After much speculation, Virat Kohli on Thursday took to social media to announce that he will be stepping down as captain of the Indian cricket team in T20Is after the completion of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in UAE and Oman from October 17 to November 14. He will continue to lead the team in Test cricket and ODIs. Now, The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sourav Ganguly reacted to Virat Kohli's decision to step down as T20I captain of the Indian cricket team and explained that the decision was taken keeping the future roadmap in mind. In a statement, Ganguly praised Kohli for his contribution to the Indian cricket team as captain across all formats, and said that he hopes the right-handed batsman continues to score runs for the team as a batsman.
“Virat has been a true asset for Indian Cricket and has led with aplomb. He is one of the most successful captains in all the formats. The decision has been made keeping in mind the future roadmap," Ganguly was quoted as saying in a BCCI press release. “We thank Virat for his tremendous performance as the T20I Captain. We wish him all the best for the upcoming World Cup and beyond and hope that he continues to score plenty of runs for India," he added. BCCI general secretary Jay Shah further added that he was in talks with Kohli and the team management and believes it to be the right decision for the team. “We have a clear roadmap for Team India. Considering the workloads and ensuring that we have smooth transition, Virat Kohli has decided to step down as T20I captain after the upcoming World Cup,” Jay Shah said. Kohli stated that he’d come to the decision after “a lot of contemplation and discussions with my close people” as well as the leadership group, including Ravi Shastri, the head coach, and Rohit Sharma, India’s limited-overs vice-captain.
