'I was surprised' - Sourav Ganguly on Virat Kohli's decision to step down as India T20I skipper

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly has said that he was shocked by Virat Kohli’s decision to step down as T20I skipper. Ahead of the 20-20 World Cup, Kohli shocked the cricket fraternity by announcing that he will relinquish India’s T20I leadership after the showpiece event in Oman and UAE. There were a few reports which stated that BCCI may ask Kohli to step down as a limited-overs skipper due to India's long stretched title drought.

However, Ganguly rubbished the reports and said there was no pressure from the BCCI on Kohli to give up T20I captaincy. The former skipper also sympathized with Kohli saying that leading India in all three formats is not an easy task.

"I was surprised (that Virat Kohli decided to step down as T20 captain). This decision must have been taken only after the England tour and it is his decision. There was no pressure from our end, we didn't tell him anything. We don't do things like this because I have been a player so I understand. It is very difficult to be a captain in all formats for this long."

"I was a captain for six years, it looks good from the outside, there is respect and all that. But you get burnt out on the inside and it happens to any captain. Not just to Tendulkar or Ganguly or Dhoni or Kohli but to the captain that will come up next as well. It is a tough job," he added.

Soon after, Kohli also announced that he will step down as RCB skipper as well after the current season. Eyeing their maiden title, Kohli's RCB played exceptionally well until the playoffs where they were eliminated by Kolkata Knight Riders.

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli’s form with the bat is a cause of concern for the fans. The Indian skipper has not touched the three-figure mark since 2019. However, Ganguly revealed he is not surprised by Kohli’s lean patch as every player is bound to go through a dry run in his career.

"This happens (dip in Kohli's form). Virat has been playing for about 11 years, not every season can be great. He is human not a machine. So I am not surprised. His graph has gone up so high, then it came down, then it went even higher and that is when you see a player like Virat. If you play for a long time this sort of up and down will happen."

Indian fans will be hoping that Kohli finds his mojo back when he steps on the park against Pakistan on October 24.