Virat Kohli on Saturday (January 15) left everyone stunned with his decision to step down as India’s Test captain. He left the job after leading the side for seven years.
Kohli made the big announcement through social media, only a day after India’s 2-1 Test series loss to South Africa.
Last year, the 33-year old had stepped down as T20I captain and was later sacked as ODI captain by the BCCI.
With no burden of captaincy on his shoulder, Virat is expected to return to his dominating best with the bat and former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi also thinks the same.
Speaking to SAMAA TV, Afridi welcomed Kohli’s decision to quit captaincy, saying that the Indian batter has played enough cricket to know what’s right for him.
“It’s fine in my opinion. Virat has played enough cricket and led the team well. And I believe this is the correct decision. There comes a stage where you can’t handle pressure, and because of it, your own performances get affected. So, I think he has captained for a long time and at a great level. As a batsman, it’s time he enjoys his cricket,” Afridi stated.
Virat Kohli led India in 68 Tests, winning 40 matches and losing 17. He holds the record for most Test appearances and most Test wins by an Indian captain. Only Graeme Smith, Ricky Ponting, and Steve Waugh have won more matches than Kohli as captain in Test cricket.
Under his captaincy, Team India won their maiden Test series on Australian soil in 2018-19. He also captained the side to two Test series wins in West Indies and Sri Lanka. Kohli was at the helm when India were leading 2-1 in England last year, before the fifth and final Test got postponed due to COVID cases in the visiting camp.
