"Everything has to come to a halt"
India’s most successful Test captain Virat Kohli has stepped down from his captaincy after seven years.
Kohli led the team for 68 matches and won 40 of them, making him India’s most successful full-time Test captain.
Kohli took charge, officially, as the captain of the Indian Test team in 2015 after MS Dhoni decided to call time on his Test career.
He has since taken the Indian team to the pinnacle of glory in Tests, with a win ratio of 58.82.
Under his leadership, the team reclaimed the top spot in the ICC test rankings, and also qualified for the final of the first-ever ICC World Test Championship.
He led the country to its first-ever Test series win on Australian soil, winning 2-1.
The cricketer announced the news on January 15, 2022, in the wake of India losing a Test series in South Africa 1-2.
In a post shared on Twitter, Virat Kohli partly said:
“Everything has to come to a halt at some stage and for me as Test captain of India, it’s now.
“There have been many ups and also some downs along the journey, but never has there been a lack of effort or lack of belief.”
“I have always believed in giving my 120 per cent in everything I do, and if I can’t do that, I know it’s not the right thing to do.
“I have absolute clarity in my heart and I cannot be dishonest to my team.”
See his full Twitter statement here:
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) January 15, 2022
The Indian cricket board, BCCI, thanked Kohli for his “admirable leadership qualities that took the test team to unprecedented heights.”
The board’s secretary Jay Shah wrote on Twitter:
“Virat turned the team into a ruthless fit unit that performed admirably both in India and away.
“The Test wins in Australia and England have been special.”
Virat Kohli gave up the T20 captaincy in September 2021. He was replaced as One-Day International (ODI) skipper in December, with opener Rohit Sharma taking over in both formats.
Responding to Kohli’s decision to step down from his position, cricket fan and property developer Muhammad Israr from Birmingham said:
“Virat has done really well. It’s huge pressure being captain of India. Respect.”
Whilst BCCI officials were not available to confirm who would take over as India’s next Test captain, opener KL Rahul‘s name has started doing the rounds.
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