Virat Kohli to step down as T20I captain: Details here
Indian captain Virat Kohli has announced that he will step down as captain in T20Is after the impending T20 World Cup. The 32-year-old announced his decision in a statement on Thursday. Kohli, however, will remain the skipper of ODI and Test teams. There have been a lot of reports doing rounds over split-captaincy of late. Here are further details.
Here is what a recent report stated
According to a recent report, Kohli and Rohit Sharma, as well as the Indian team management, have had lengthy discussions over captaincy. The report stated that Kohli could make the announcement himself in the coming months. It added that Kohli feels Sharma should take charge of the white-ball sides. The BCCI sources also revealed that the Indian captain wants to focus on his batting.
A look at Kohli's statement
Kohli took charge of white-ball sides in 2017
Kohli took the charge of India's Test side in 2014 after MS Dhoni retired. Over the years, he has become the nation's most successful Test captain in terms of wins. The former was named the captain of ODI and T20I sides too, in 2017. Kohli has led India in 45 T20Is, winning 27 of them. Besides, India have played 95 ODIs under him.
India won in Australia, England, and NZ under Kohli
Kohli led India to series wins in Australia, England, and New Zealand. He has the second-most wins by an Indian captain in the format, after MS Dhoni. As captain, Kohli scored scored 1,502 runs at an average of 48.45 and a strike-rate of 143.18. The tally includes 12 fifties. Notably, India haven't lost a bilateral series under Kohli since August 2019.
Kohli vs Rohit: Numbers in T20Is since 2017
Kohli is the third-highest run-scorer in T20I cricket since the start of 2017 (1,502 runs). Interestingly, Rohit has scored just two runs less than Kohli in this period. He also slammed 3 hundreds, joint-most by a batsman since January 2017.
Rohit has been consistent as a white-ball captain
Although Kohli has been a successful white-ball captain, his record in the ICC tournaments has been under the scanner. On the other hand, India won the 2018 Nidahas Trophy under Sharma's leadership, apart from winning bilateral series against several nations. Rohit also helped India win the 2018 Asia Cup. Under him, India have won 23 of 29 white-ball fixtures (lost six).
Rohit has led Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles
Rohit is always hailed for his captaincy in the Indian Premier League. He was appointed the captain of Mumbai Indians in 2013. Eight years later, Rohit has become the most successful captain in the IPL in terms of trophies. Under him, the MI have been crowned champions five times (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020). Rohit is expected to replicate the success for India.
