Virat Kohli Was Going Through A Rough Time Since Giving Up T20I Captaincy - Kapil Dev

Former Indian cricketer Kapil Dev reckoned that the Indian batter, Virat Kohli’s resignation as the Test captain comes on the back of the immense pressure he was under since giving up the T20I captaincy last September.

Kohli announced that he will be stepping down as the Test captain on Saturday, a piece of news that came as a shock to the cricketing world. He revealed the decision to his teammates and the BCCI secretary, Jay Shah, before making it public.

Speaking about the decision, Kapil told mid-day: “I welcome Virat’s decision to quit the Test captaincy. He was going through a rough time ever since he gave up the T20 captaincy. He has looked tense in recent times, appeared to be under a lot of pressure. So giving up the captaincy was an option in order to play freely. He opted for that.”

“He is a mature man. I am sure he must have thought hard before taking this important decision. Maybe, he wasn’t enjoying the captaincy. We have to support him and wish him luck,” he added.

“We cannot lose Virat the batsman… no way” – Kapil Dev

Kapil Dev insisted that Kohli’s importance in the team is of paramount importance and they cannot afford the setback of losing the 33-year-old altogether. His captaincy stint might be over but the impact he can have with the bat will never diminish.

“Even Sunil Gavaskar played under me. I played under K Srikkanth and Mohammed Azharuddin. I had no ego. Virat will have to give up his ego and play under a young cricketer. This will help him and Indian cricket. Virat should guide the new captain, new players. We cannot lose Virat, the batsman… no way,” Kapil added.

India’s new Test captain will be announced before the Sri Lanka series, with Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul being the potential candidates.

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