A day after India lost a three-match Test series to South Africa in Johannesburg, test cricket captain Virat Kohli announced online that he is stepping down as the captain of India’s Test cricket team, after leading it for 7 years.
Last year, he had thrown in the towel as the captain of the T20I team in October 2021, and then was replaced as ODI captain by Rohit Sharma in on December 8th, 2021 as well. While announcing his decision to quit captaincy of the Indian Test cricet team, Kohli said in a statement that:
“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”.
He also thanked former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and coach Ravi Shastri as he bid adieu to captaining the Indian side:
“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 bad 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”.
The 33-year old Kohli has been playing professional Test cricket since 2011 in which he has scored 7,962 runs, and has been playing ODI’s and T20’s since 2008 and 2010 respectively.
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