Virat Kohli to step down as T20I captain: I thought he will give up captaincy of RCB, says Harsha Bhogle

Virat Kohli on Thursday announced he will step down as India’s T20 captain after the T20 World Cup in UAE but will continue to lead the side in ODIs and Test cricket.

Cricket commentator and expert Harsha Bhogle is surprised by Kohli’s decision but backed the star batsman to peak again as a T20 batsman.

“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,” Bhogle wrote on Twitter.

“Hopefully this can give his mind the rest it needs and who knows, find him another peak as a T20 batsman.”

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

For some time, there has been speculation about Kohli’s future as white-ball captain, especially in the backdrop of Rohit Sharma’s brilliant track record of winning five IPL titles for Mumbai Indians.

“I’ve decided to step down as the T20 captain after this T20 World Cup in Dubai in October,” Kohli said in a statement posted on his Twitter page.

“Understanding workload is a very important thing and considering my immense workload over the last 8-9 years playing all three formats and captaining regularly for last five to six years, I feel I need to give myself space to be fully ready to lead Indian team in Test and ODI cricket,” Kohli said in a statement on his Twitter page.

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

“I have given my everything to the Team during my time as T20 captain and I will continue to do so for the T20 captain and will continue to do so for the T20 team as a batsman moving forward,” he further added. The decision, Kohli said, was taken after consulting head coach Ravi Shastri, his heir apparent Rohit, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah.

The T20 World Cup starts on October 17.

Inaugural champions India begin their bid for a second title in a Super 12 match in Dubai against arch-rivals Pakistan on October 24.