India Cricket
Kohli steps down as India Test captain
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Virat Kohli has declared his decision to resign as India's Test captain, effective immediately. Kohli took over as captain of the team in Test cricket for the first time in 2014 against Australia, and has predominantly held the position since then.
In the 2014/15 season, he took over as full-time captain from MS Dhoni. Kohli ends his captaincy tenure as the most successful Indian Test captain in history, with 40 victories in 68 games.
Kohli took to Twitter to make the mega announcement.
"7 years of hard work, toil and relentless perseverance everyday to take the team in the right direction. Everything has to come to a halt at some stage and for me as Test Captain of India, it's now," Kohli said.
"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,"
The 33-year-old Kohli, who stepped down as Twenty20 skipper after a debacle at the World Cup and then lost the one-day job, took over the India leadership across formats from MS Dhoni in 2017.
"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,"
Kohli also thanked former head coach Ravi Shastri and former captain MS Dhoni in his statement.
"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."
Kohli has also quit as captain of Indian Premier League side Royal Challengers Bangalore and many have welcomed his decision to concentrate more on his batting -- his form has dipped and has not scored a century in the past two seasons.
Kohli has played 99 Tests and scored 7,962 runs at an average of 50.39.
He has hit 27 Test centuries but not passed three figures in red-ball cricket for his country since November 2019, a run of 15 matches and 27 innings.
Kohli as Test skipper:
Away stats
M 36
W 16
L 14
Drawn 6
Win % 44.44
Home stats
M 31
W 24
L 2
Drawn 5
Win % 77.41