No One Expected That Virat Kohli Would Resign From Test Captaincy, Says Shardul Thakur

Indian all-rounder Shardul Thakur said that it was an emotional moment for the players of the Indian team after Virat Kohli resigned from Test captaincy.

Kohli’s decision to step down from the Test captaincy role had not only shocked his fans and experts but also his own teammates.

A few weeks ago, 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.

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

It was an emotional moment for everyone: Shardul Thakur on Virat Kohli’s resignation from Test captaincy

Shardul, who was part of the Test side that lost to South Africa, said no one from the team had expected such kind of move.

“It was an emotional moment for everyone. No one expected that he would resign from Test captaincy. We did well under his captaincy, especially overseas. Those series we lost overseas were close ones.

“The team was doing well under him and no one expected this. However, now that he has made his decision, everyone should respect it,” Thakur told Indian Express.

In those two Tests, luck wasn’t on our side: Shardul Thakur

In South Africa’s first innings in the Johannesburg Test, Shardul blew away the South African batting order as he claimed seven wickets for 61 runs, breaking the set partnerships of the hosts.

South Africa won both their games while chasing 200-plus targets in the fourth innings. Thakur said that his team was short of luck in those two games.

“In those two Tests, luck wasn’t on our side. There were many times when their batsman edged, but the ball fell short or flew above us. We later realised that edges will not carry, so our fielders came closer,” he said.

“We were unlucky many times. Once they were 150 for 3, and we bowled them out. Once you are chasing 200-plus, there is confidence in the dressing room that it is chaseable. But if the target is 300-plus in the fourth innings, pressure starts to build up. In those two Test matches, we lost as our bowling and fielding unit didn’t carry the luck with ourselves,” he added.

Shardul Thakur scalped 12 wickets in three Test matches and played some handy cameos with the bat in the ODI series before he was benched for the final ODI.

Also Read: Virat Kohli Is Still Annoyed With The Selectors For Removing Him From ODI Captaincy: Madan Lal