IND vs SA: 'Not Surprised By Virat Kohli's Decision To Quit Test Captaincy': Kevin Pietersen

While the whole Indian cricket fraternity and fans were taken aback by Virat Kohli‘s decision to step down as India’s Test captain, it did not take Kevin Pietersen by surprise. He said that the decision did not take him by surprise and he expects the former Indian skipper to now just enjoy his game and bat the way he batted before.

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Kevin Pietersen will be playing in the Legends League Cricket and ahead of the series, he gave his opinion on Kohli’s decision to step down as Test captain. He said that the tough bio-bubble environments plus the constant pressure on the Indian team is what has taken a toll on the Indian skipper.

“A lot of players have suffered. It is the greatest job in the world. But when you put them in a bubble, it’s certainly not the greatest job because there is no fun. I’m actually not surprised that Virat wants just a little bit of a break from that extra pressure because it’s damn difficult playing in these bubbles,” he said.

Pietersen further extended his support for Kohli saying that it is unfair to judge him with a few failures as the cricketers are constantly playing in bio-bubble environments and performances in such situations are tough.

It Is Difficult For Virat Kohli To Perform In The Bubble: Kevin Pietersen

“People who are critical of the modern-day sportsmen I think are foolish because these bio-bubbles are very hard to play in. “It will be very unfair to be too harsh, to be critical. Because you have not looked at Virat Kohli. Kohli needs crowds, he gets going (from it), he is an entertainer. I think it’s very difficult for his personality to perform to the best of his (Kohli’s) abilities (in the bubble)” Pietersen said to PTI.

The former England skipper also spoke about India’s future Test captain and preferred Rohit Sharma as his choice over Rishabh Pant. Rohit has already been designated as India’s white-ball skipper and Pietersen also backed him to become the next Test skipper for India.

“I’ve always loved ‘Hitman’ Rohit Sharma. He’s a fabulous player, every time he’s batting I’ve got to watch. His captaincy is great for the Mumbai Indians too. So he’s probably next in line,” Pietersen said.

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