In a huge development, Virat Kohli on Thursday (September 16) announced that he will step down as Team India's T20 captain post the T20 World Cup 2021.

Taking to Twitter, Kohli posted a lengthy note to confirm his decision, which states: “I have been fortunate enough to not only represent India but also lead the Indian Cricket Team to my utmost capability. I thank everyone who has supported me in my journey as the Captain of the Indian Cricket Team. I couldn’t have done it without them – the boys, the support staff, the selection committee, my coaches and each and every India who prayed for us to win.”

"Understanding workload is a very important thing and considering my immense workload over the last 8-9 years playing all 3 formats and captaining regularly for last 5-6 years, I feel I need to give myself space to be fully ready to lead the Indian Team in Test and ODI Cricket. I have given everything to the Team during my time as T20 Captain and I will continue to do so for the T20 Team as a batsman moving forward.

"Of course, arriving at this decision took a lot of time. After a lot of contemplation and discussions with my close people, Ravi bhai and also Rohit, who have been an essential part of the leadership group, I've decided to step down as the T20 Captain after this T20 World Cup in Dubai in October. I have also spoken to the secretary Mr Jay Shah and the President of BCCI Mr Sourav Ganguly along with all the selectors about the same. I will continue to serve Indian Cricket and the Indian Team to the best of my ability," he added.

India is currently led across all formats by Kohli, who took over Test captaincy from MS Dhoni in 2014 and became the limited-overs skipper in 2017.

Under his captaincy, Indian team has improved by many folds and achieved great success in all forms of the game.