Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan was surprised over the timing of the announcement made by Virat Kohli to step down as India's T20I captaincy post the ICC T20 World Cup 2021.
On Thursday, September 16, Indian captain Kohli has stunned one and all with his decision to quit T20I captaincy after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup 2021 to be held in October 17- November 14 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman.
However, there were reports making rounds about the same for quite some time, but a BCCI official called them just rumors and confirmed that Kohli will continue as India captain across the three formats of the game.
Though, on Tuesday, the skipper himself confirmed his decision on social media.
Reacting to Kohli’s decision, Pathan said he is surprised by the timing of his announcement, but hopes that the “wonderful leader” can finish off it in style by winning the T20 World Cup 2021 title, as all eyes will be on captain the dashing cricketer in the global event having yet not won ICC title.
Pathan told Sportstar: “The timing of the announcement has definitely surprised me because you normally take such calls after a tournament. I wonder what will happen if we go to win the T20 World Cup.”
He added, “He has been a wonderful leader and we have seen what he can do in Test cricket in terms of leadership. There will obviously be questions about him not winning ICC tournaments, but I am sure he has taken the decision after a lot of thought. It is not an easy decision for anyone, but I hope that for the legacy of Virat, we win this World Cup. I hope he can finish it in style by winning the title.”
Pathan signed off by saying, “There will always be talks about him not winning an ICC title or an IPL trophy. But then, one must remember that he will be leading an ICC T20 event for the first time. He is a fighter – be it as a leader or as a batsman – and I really wish him all the luck.”
Noteworthy, Kohli has captained India in 45 T20Is and won 27 games and the team hadn’t lost a T20I series under his captaincy from February 2019 to March 2021.
(Sportstar inputs)
