I Believe This Is The Correct Decision: Shahid Afridi On Virat Kohli Relinquishing Test Captaincy

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi backed Virat Kohli for stepping down from India’s Test captaincy post.

Virat Kohli’s sudden decision to step down from the Test captaincy role has shocked his fans and the entire cricket world.

Virat Kohli relinquishes captaincy duty from all formats

On Saturday, Kohli announced on his official Twitter handle to step down as India’s Test captain just a day after his side lost the Test series 1-2 against South Africa.

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 there has never been a lack of effort or lack of belief,” Kohli issued a statement on his official Twitter handle.

It’s time for Virat Kohli to enjoy his cricket: Shahid Afridi

Kohli stepped down from the T20I captaincy role after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup in November last year. Just ahead of the South Africa tour, he was replaced with Rohit Sharma as the ODI captain as the selectors didn’t want two white-ball captains for India.

Afridi feels that Kohli has led the team very well and this is the right stage for him to enjoy his remaining days as a pure player.

“It’s fine in my opinion. Virat has played enough cricket and led the team well. And I believe this is the correct decision. There comes a stage where you can’t handle pressure, and because of it, your own performances get affected,” Afridi said on Samaa TV.

“So, I think he has captained for a long time and at a great level. As a batsman, it’s time he enjoys his cricket,” he added.

Kohli took over the reins from MS Dhoni in Test cricket after the latter retired from the red-ball format at the end of 2014. Kohli stood as India’s captain in 68 Test matches and won 40 of them, the best record for any Indian skipper.

Under the leadership of Kohli, India won their first-ever Test series in Australia when they defeated them 2-1 in the 2018/19 Border Gavaskar series.

The team’s approach of playing overseas Test matches transfigured as they developed a winning and fighting attitude under Kohli’s tenure as the captain of the team.

Also Read: 3 Records Set By Virat Kohli As Indian Test Captain Which Will Be Difficult To Break