Virat Kohli steps down from India’s Test captaincy, announces the decision on Twitter

Virat Kohli has stepped down from the red-ball captaincy for India on Saturday with immediate effect. He announced his decision taking on Twitter. India’s recent series against South Africa turns out to be his last series as captain now. Also, his sudden announcement came on back of the controversy around his sacking of ODI captaincy involving him and BCCI. 

Kohli started his tenure as Test captain in early 2015 replacing MS Dhoni in and ended up being India’s most successful Test captain ever. Taking on Twitter, Kohli said that he is absolutely clear about his decision to step down from captaincy and so he cannot be dishonest with the team continuing it. 

"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. Everything 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 per cent 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 tweeted.

Kohli’s tenure as captain was successful as the team rose to the top spot in ICC Test Rankings and also scripted some memorable overseas victories. In 2021, India finished as the runner-up of World Test Championship. He has captained India in 68 Tests with 40 wins, 17 losses and 11 draws. 16 of his 40 wins came overseas and he also consistently used five-bowler strategy in Test cricket. 

BCCI has not named the replacement for Kohli yet. Rohit Sharma was named as the Test captain for South Africa series but a hamstring injury ruled him out of the series. KL Rahul will captain India in the ODIs and he can also captain the team in future. 

India will play against Sri Lanka in Test series in February- March and the BCCI will likely announce Kohli’s successor at the time of squad selection.