Calling it ‘a very unselfish decision’, Vaughan said Kohli can relax and utilize the space to perform as a batsman in the shortest format of the game.
Virat Kohli’s announcement that he would stand down as India’s T20I captain after the World Cup in UAE and Oman this year was by far the biggest sporting news in the country on Thursday. If nothing out of the ordinary happens, it is likely to remain the biggest talking point even on Friday and probably throughout this weekend till IPL 2021 returns. Noted former cricketers aired their views on Kohli’s decision. Former England captain Michael Vaughan was among them.
Calling it ‘a very unselfish decision’, Vaughan said Kohli can relax and utilize the space to perform as a batsman in the shortest format of the game. The prolific right-hander will continue to ply his trade in T20Is as a batsman.
“Well Done… that’s a very unselfish decision and also one which will give you some nice space to hopefully relax a little away from all the pressures,” Vaughan commented on Kohli’s Instagram post.
Kohli, who has been leading India in all three formats since 2017 – he was India’s Test captain in 2014-15 but took over the white-ball leadership role after Dhoni stood down in 2017 – cited workload management as one of the main reasons behind this decision.
“I’ve decided to step down as the T20 captain after this T20 World Cup in Dubai in October,” the 32-year-old Kohli, who is here to compete in the IPL that resumes on Sunday, said in a statement posted on his Twitter and Instagram 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 explained.
Kohli said he arrived at his decision after discussing with head coach Ravi Shastri and opening batsman Rohit Sharma.
“Of course, arriving at this decision took a lot of time. After a lot of contemplation and discussions with my close people, Ravi bhai and also Rohit, 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,” said Kohli in a statement on Instagram
“I have also spoken to the secretary Mr Jay Shah and the President of BCCI Mr Sourav Ganguly along with all the selectors about the same. I will continue to serve Indian Cricket and the Indian Team to the best of my ability,” he added.
Kohli captained India in 45 T20Is with the side winning 27 out of those. India only lost 14 T20Is under Kohli captaincy while two games were tied and two matches had no results.