Need the space: Virat Kohli on stepping down as Indian T20 cricket captain

India skipper Virat Kohli has decided to step down from T20I captaincy after the ICC T20 World Cup in November.

Kohli explained his decision to leave the T20I captaincy in a statement on Twitter. He said he needs to give himself space to play all three formats for the country. "I have been fortunate enough to not only represent India but also lead the Indian Cricket Team to my utmost capability. I thank everyone who has supported me in my journey as the Captain of the Indian Cricket Team," Kohli said in a statement.

"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 5-6 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," he added.

Kohli said he arrived at his decision after discussing with head coach Ravi Shastri and opening batsman Rohit Sharma.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sourav Ganguly lavished praise on Virat Kohli after the India skipper decided to step down as T20I captain post the 2021 World War Cup.

"Virat has been a true asset for Indian Cricket and has led with aplomb. He is one of the most successful captains in all the formats," Ganguly said in a BCCI statement.

"The decision has been made keeping in mind the future roadmap. We thank Virat for his tremendous performance as the T20I Captain. We wish him all the best for the upcoming World Cup and beyond and hope that he continues to score plenty of runs for India," 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.

Under his final captaincy before the step-down, India and Pakistan will be locking horns on October 24 in a group-stage encounter in the T20 World Cup. The tournament will get underway from October 17, with the final in Dubai on November 14.

(ANI)