Virat Kohli steps down as India’s Test captain with immediate effect. Indian cricket Team test captain Virat Kohli released a statement on his social media channels a day after India’s 2-1 series loss to South Africa in Cape Town, stating he would be stepping down from the role he has held on a permanent basis since 2015. His official tweet
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) January 15, 2022
“It’s been 7 years of hard work, toil and relentless perseverance everyday to take the team in the right direction. I’ve done the job with absolute honesty and left nothing out there. Every thing 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 percent 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.
“I want to thank the BCCI for giving me the opportunity to lead my country for such a long period of time and more importantly to all the teammates who bought into the vision I had for the team from day one and never gave up in any situation. You guys have made this journey so memorable and beautiful. To Ravi Bhai and the support group who were the engine behind this vehicle that moved us upwards in Test Cricket consistently, you all have played a massive role in bringing this vision to life. Lastly, a big thank you to MS Dhoni who believed in me as a Captain and found me to be an able individual who could take Indian Cricket forward.”
Virat Kohli first led India in a Test match by the end of 2014 in Adelaide in MS Dhoni‘s absence. He took over as the full time captain in the same series immediately after Dhoni’s Test retirement. Over the years, Kohli’s success as captain in Tests also led to him taking over the reins in the other formats once Dhoni stepped down. Eventually, he surpassed Dhoni and became the most successful Indian Test captain.
Under Kohli, India reached the summit in the Test rankings and managed to win a Test series in Australia for the first time in their history, in 2018-19. While Australia were weakened in the batting department in that series, India under Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane returned to those shores two years later to beat them again. India are also currently leading the series in England 2-1 and will return this year to play the fifth and final Test. In the inaugural World Test Championship, India reached the final but ended up losing to New Zealand.
4️⃣0️⃣ wins in 6️⃣8️⃣ Tests!
Virat Kohli steps down as India's most successful Test captain 👏
Read more: https://t.co/D0qfZJLRjP pic.twitter.com/2pnr6iJ7qd
— ICC (@ICC) January 15, 2022
Kohli steps down as India most successful captain in the format, with 40 wins in 68 Tests. He also helped the side to a historic Test series win in Australia, and took them to the top of the ICC Test rankings. The BCCI released a quick statement on Twitter thanking Kohli for his contribution. “BCCI congratulates #TeamIndia captain @imVkohli for his admirable leadership qualities that took the Test team to unprecedented heights. He led India in 68 matches and has been the most successful captain with 40 wins.”
Kohli had earlier given up T20I captaincy after the 2021 T20 World Cup, and was succeeded as skipped in ODIs by Rohit Sharma. Under him, India became a mighty force and dominated every team at home. In the 2015/16 season, India defeated Sri Lanka at their home and then conquered South Africa. In 2016, India went on to defeat West Indies and then went on a winning run in the home season, which comprised 13 Test matches. India won all 4 series during the season. Their only defeat came against Australia in Pune.
In the 2017/18 season, India registered back-to-back series wins over Sri Lanka. Even though Kohli continued his purple patch with the bat, the year 2018 wasn’t a great year for him on the captaincy front as India lost away series against England and South Africa. Kohli bounced back strongly in 2018/19 and became the first-ever Asian captain to win a Test series in Australia. The series win remains to be one of the most decorated moments in the history of Indian cricket. For the next year, India went on a winning streak and defeated West Indies (2-0), South Africa (3-0) and Bangladesh (2-0).
BREAKING: After seven years at the helm, Virat Kohli has stepped down as India’s Test captain. pic.twitter.com/0aZzSUvEYq
— ICC (@ICC) January 15, 2022
Their winning run was halted by New Zealand, who won the Test series 2-0 at their home. After a year, Kohli led India in a complete series and captained the team to a 3-1 win against England. India continued their domination over England away from home too and returned from the UK with a 2-1 lead. Kohli’s last series as the Test captain was against South Africa, which the visitors lost. Barring SA and NZ, India won a series in every country they travelled under Kohli. Rohit Sharma was recently appointed Team India’s Test vice-captain and might be promoted to the top job. If appointed, Rohit will become India’s all-format captain.
For more updates on Bollywood and Cricket visit my page on Facebook Durgesh Tiwary’s View and website Cricket Movie Website