Virat Kohli to give up limited-overs captaincy after T20 WC - Reports

Indian skipper Virat Kohli is likely to step down as white-ball skipper after the T20 World Cup. As per several reports, Kohli feels that leading India in all three formats is affecting his batting which is why he is mulling over handing the reins of limited-overs teams to Rohit Sharma. Talks of giving the ODI and T20I captaincy to Rohit Sharma has been doing rounds of a while owing to his magnificent record as a skipper in IPL, where he has led Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles.

“Virat himself will make the announcement. He is of the view that he needs to concentrate on his batting and go back to becoming what he’s always been- the best batsman in the world,” The Times of India quoted sources as saying.

Virat Kohli has seen a dip in form in the last couple of years and has not scored a single century since his hundred against Bangladesh in the Day-Night Test in Kolkata. In the recent tour to England, the skipper struggled to get going. He did find some form in the latter part of the tour and scored a couple of fifties but failed to convert it into a big score, a trait Kohli is well known for.

Kohli so far has led India in 95 ODIs and 45 T20Is, winning 65 and 27 matches respectively. Rohit, on the other hand, has led India 10 times in ODIs and led them to victories on eight occasions. In T20Is, he has captained them 19 times of which they have won 15.

“It will wrap up a historic Test cycle from an India perspective. Virat is also the first to realise that his overall responsibilities as captain across formats are taking a toll on his batting. He needs that space and freshness because he has a lot more to offer. If Rohit takes over as whiteball captain, Virat can continue leading India’s red-ball aspirations and work on his T20 and One-day batting. He’s just 32 and given his fitness, he will easily play top cricket for another five to six years at least,” the report further quoted sources as saying.