Timing of Virat Kohli's announcement to quit as India's T20I captain surprising, says MSK Prasad

09/17/2021

Former India chief selector MSK Prasad has said that Virat Kohli's decision to step down from T20I captaincy might be a result of bio-bubble fatigue, adding that the timing of the decision was surprising. Kohli's decision to step down from the captaincy comes just ahead of the T20 World Cup.

MSK Prasad has seen the rise of Virat Kohli as the captain of all three formats during his tenure as chairman of selectors from 2016 to 2020. Virat Kohli’s decision to quit T20I captaincy barely a month before the T20 World Cup 2021 has surprised Prasad. The 46-year-old is surprised due to the timing of the decision.

“It is a little surprising that the decision was announced before the T20 World Cup. But then, the stress he must be carrying due to the bubble life and moving on from one bubble to another (could have also impacted). It is clearly visible and that has impacted his mindset,” Prasad told Sportstar.

Interestingly, this will be for the first and the last time that Virat Kohli would captain India in a T20 World Cup. He has captained India in 45 T20Is since 2017. Under his captaincy, India have won 27 games and lost 14.

“Under Virat’s captaincy, it has only been a high for Indian cricket in T20s. We have achieved success in New Zealand, West Indies, South Africa, Australia, and this T20 World Cup will be the first mega T20I event under his captaincy,” the former chief selector said.

“This decision will de-stress him and unburden him a bit because he knows that he will be letting go of one of one format after the tournament and that will perhaps free him a bit in the mega event,” Prasad added.

Prasad reckoned that the 32-year-old's individual performance might have taken a hit due to the draining bio-bubble life and that in turn could have made him take the decision.

“Virat is someone who has scored 70 centuries (43 in ODIs and 27 in Tests) in a decade has achieved something unbelievable and has set high standards. Probably, the bubble life had an impact on his individual performance, and that would have perhaps made him take such a decision before the T20 World Cup. Maybe, he wanted to unburden himself by letting go of one format,” The 46-year-old added.

India will start their T20 World Cup 2021 campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on October 24 in Dubai.