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T20 Cricket, being one of the most exciting formats of the play, is on the climax, with several tournaments taking place. Various shocking news is coming on the way with the T20 World Cup 2021 set to begin.
The recent astonishing happening in the T20 cricket world was Indian captain Virat Kohli stepping down from his T20I captaincy after the big event. The release is still debatable for several reasons.
It is intriguing why Kohli has to opt for such a massive decision. Does it make in haste? Or it was expected. So, what would be the reasons/arguments that define Kohli’s stepping down?
Virat Kohli, the current captain of all three formats, has captained 205 matches across all formats. He has won 130 out of them. His record is formidable; however, there is no ICC Trophy to his name as a captain. Although, he has the best team. Unfortunately, he cannot figure out the mantra to win a trophy at ICC events.
Is MS Dhoni Behind this Decision
On the other hand, his predecessor MS Dhoni is known for his captaincy/leadership, besides his batting and wicket-keeping abilities. Dhoni was one of the smartest minds in cricket. Moreover, Dhoni managed to win three ICC tournaments; the ODI world cup, the T20i world cup, and ICC Champion Trophy. He is the only captain to do so. Being a successor of that outstanding captain, it’s really difficult to escape from his aura. That might be one of Kohli’s decisions to step down.
At present, Kohli is the captain of all three formats, which is a daunting task to do. Nowadays, there is a lot of international cricket going around as well as domestic. Kohli is also skipper of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League. It’s really a hard job to play that much cricket at a time with raising a family.
Can’t Win in IPL as Well
Kohli’s leadership has also not turned out fruitful in the IPL. He has been leading RCB since 2013 and part of it since its inception. Leading 8 out of 13 editions of IPL, he was unable to find the way to win. He only managed to reach the final of the 2016 edition.
Better at Longer Format
He seems more comfortable in the longer format. Recently, he became the most successful Test Captain of India. He has managed to win 38 test matches out of 65 and 65 ODI out of 95. These stats are good. India is the only Asian team to win the Test series in Australia. Kohli and men have done it twice. Ironically, both times he led the team. After stepping down, the center of focus can be the longer format. Kohli has been the most dominant batsman in the last decade.
Recently, his career has had a little dip which is a rare sight. Then, it’s fair to say that captaining all three formats is not an easy job, especially in the modern age of cricket. Stepping down in T20i would reduce a bit of pressure on him. It will also impact the Indian team. Nevertheless, it would be a win-win situation for both teams.
Next Captain After Virat Kohli
It is predicted that Rohit Sharma is set to take over from him. Virat Kohli announced that he stepped down from T20i as skipper after the T20 World Cup in UAE. He will continue to lead the ODI and Test side. Rohit Sharma is expected to be leading the Indian team in the T20Is.
Moreover, Sharma has 5 IPL trophies in his name. He is the captain of Mumbai India (MI). Recently, his performance and his form have been out of the world. He scored 5 hundred in the 2019 ODI WC. On the other hand, Kohli’s career is slightly going downwards. Another milestone as captain, he has won Asia Cup in 2018, ironically in the absence of Dhoni and Kohli. The presence of Sharma might force Kohli to quit his job and give it to somebody else like Rohit Sharma. It seems like he is the most potential candidate for the vacant position after Kohli’s steps down.
Better Way to End It
Virat Kohli has been the most dominant batsman in the last decade. He is also one of the fierce captains right now. The only obstacle in his captaincy journey is to find the way to win the ICC events trophy. However, it’s hard to assume that he is the culprit for not winning a trophy.
In the end, batsmen like Virat Kohli only emerge once in a century. Watching him as a batsman is something out of the world. Moreover, every cricket fan wants him to triumph the ICC events. If he wins the ICC T20i World Cup 2021, it will be fantastic for the exceptional player to end his captaincy career.
Written by Okasha Khan and Auns Amin
