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March 28, 2024
Virat Kohli to step down as India's T20 captain

Virat Kohli to step down as India’s T20 captain

The 32-year-old made the announcement on Twitter, saying that he needs to “give himself space” to prepare properly as he continues as India’s captain in Test and One-Day International (ODI) format.
“I have been fortunate enough to not only represent India, but also lead the Indian cricket team to my utmost capability,” Kohli wrote.

“Understanding workload is a very important thing and considering my immense workload over the last eight-nine years playing all three formats and captaining regularly for last five-six 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.

“Of course, arriving at this decision took a lot of time. After a lot of contemplation and discussions with my close people, Ravi bhai [Shastri] and also Rohit [Sharma], 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.”

Kohli became captain of India’s limited overs teams in 2017 after legendary captain MS Dhoni stepped down.

Kohli bats during day three of the fourth Test match between England and India.

The 32-year-old has scored 3,159 runs at an average of 52.65 in T20 internationals. India have won 27, lost 14 and tied two under his stewardship, scoring 1,502 runs at an average of 48.45. Since the start of 2017, Kohli has scored the third-most runs in international T20 internationals.

Kohli will continue to play for the T20 side under the new captain.

He averages 51.08 in Tests, where he has scored 7,765 runs, as well as 12,169 in ODIs at 59.07.

The T20 World Cup is to be held in United Arab Emirates and Oman between October 17 and November 14.

He will captain the Royal Challengers Bangalore when the Indian Premier League resumes on Sunday.