Will Virat Kohli leave ODI captaincy? Ravi Shastri answers
Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri believes Virat Kohli could give up captaincy in other formats as well to focus on his batting. Kohli handed over the reigns of T20I side to Rohit Sharma following the T20 World Cup. At the moment, Kohli is India's captain in ODI and Test cricket. Shastri, whose tenure as head coach ended recently, opened up on the same.
Why does it matter?
Kohli has been leading Team India across formats since January 2017. In September this year, the 33-year-old announced that he will step down as India's captain in T20I cricket after the completion of T20 World Cup. Kohli has also given up captaincy of Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League. It remains to be seen if he continues to lead in other formats.
Here is what Shastri said
"It won't happen immediately but it can happen. The same might happen with white-ball cricket, he might say he had enough and he focuses on Test captaincy," Shastri told India Today. "It is his mind and body that will make that decision. He won't be the first. A lot of successful players have given up captaincy to focus on their batting for their side."
A look at Kohli's captaincy record
Over the years, Kohli has scaled new heights while leading Team India. He is India's most successful Test captain in terms of wins. In 2019, he broke MS Dhoni's record by winning his 28th Test as captain. On the recent England tour, Kohli extended his tally of wins to 38. Besides, India have won 65 ODIs and 32 T20Is under Kohli.
Has captaincy taken a toll on Kohli's batting?
The batting graph of Kohli blossomed after he became India's captain. Since 2013, he has racked up 12,686 international runs from 210 matches at an astronomical average of 60.69 while leading. However, Kohli has struggled in recent times. He last scored an international hundred in November 2019. Ever since, he has mustered just 1,989 runs from 50 internationals at 40.59 (20 fifties).
Is split-captaincy the key?
India's experiment with split-captaincy has turned out to be fruitful in the past. Kohli took the charge of India's Test side in 2014 after MS Dhoni retired. However, the former captain continued to lead in ODIs and T20Is until 2017. With Sharma at the helm, Kohli could completely focus on his batting. This move can certainly increase the career span of Kohli.
'Split-captaincy will reduce the pressure', says Shastri
Shastri too supports the idea of split-captaincy in international cricket. Stating its relevance, the former Indian head coach said, "Especially, in these times it will reduce the pressure on the individual. A lot of players will take breaks. I foresee lot of plays wanting breaks and rightly so. You need to switch off from the game from time to time."
Kohli set to miss NZ T20Is and first Test
Kohli, who has been playing constantly, has decided to skip the first of two-match Test series against New Zealand, starting later this month. Ajinkya Rahane will lead the side in his absence. Kohli is also set to miss the preceding T20I series. Rohit will begin his captaincy stint in the shortest format. Besides, the former will join the squad ahead of the second Test.
