Virat Kohli, on Thursday, announced that he will step down from India's captaincy in T20Is post-T20 World Cup 2021 which will be played from October 17 to November 14 in UAE.
Former India batsman and selector Dilip Vengsarkar has said that Kohli deserves to end his captaincy tenure in T20Is with a high by winning the T20 World Cup.
He added that the Indian captain has not been win a single Indian Premier League franchise (IPL) trophy for his franchise as well and IPL might have played on his mind.
"I think he has been an outstanding cricketer and outstanding captain. He has done extremely well as captain and won many matches. But of course, in the T20 format, he has not done really well even in the IPL for his team. They have not been able to win the title even once. IPL would have played in his mind," Vengsarkar told India Today.
The former player added that Kohli might have taken the decision to enable himself to focus on Test cricket.
"He would like to concentrate in the Test format, which is very important for India. I thought he would announce any decision after the World Cup. I hope he wins the World Cup because he deserves it. He has worked hard all these years for Indian cricket. I hope he goes out on a high note,” he said.
"Outstanding, I would say. He is a world-class batsman and is a good captain, has done extremely well in Tests and ODIs. I guess he would have wanted to concentrate more on Tests,” he added.
Vengaskar said that it was unfortunate that Kohli had to step down and added that nothing is certain in T20Is and any team could win on their day.
"It's very unfortunate. You cannot guarantee to win in this format. Way back in 2007, we did not guarantee that we would win the World Cup but we won the World Cup. In the Test format, he has been able to do very well.
Any team can beat any side in this format. I hope he wins the World Cup because he has worked hard of Indian cricket. He is a world-class player and he wears his heart on his sleeves," Vengsarkar added.
Virat Kohli boasts of an excellent record in T20Is as a captain. In the 45 T20I matches that he captained, India won 27 matches and lost only 14.
(With India Today inputs)
