Virat Kohli ended a seven-year stint as Test captain of the Indian cricket team on Saturday after announcing that he was stepping down from his post. Last year, in September, Kohli had resigned as captain of the India T20I team, after which he was replaced by the board as ODI captain of the team. He had also previously stepped down as captain of the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Former Indian batsman Sanjay Manjrekar responded, saying that Kohli “wants to make himself unbreakable as a captain” and “when he feels that his captaincy is under threat, he tends to quit”.
“I think somehow he wants to make himself unbreakable as a captain. If he gets the atmosphere that his captaincy is under threat, he tends to quit,” Manjrekar said during an interaction on ESPNCricinfo.
“It came one after the other in a very short space of time – the resignation of the captain’s armband at RCB and then the captain’s armband at the cue ball. This was also unexpected, but it’s interesting that all these three resignations from key positions so quickly have come after another”, he added.
Manjrekar further emphasized that the change in management has also played a major role. He has a feeling that the Kohli will not get the same support from current head coach Rahul Dravid as the way he used to come under former coach Ravi Shastri.
“He felt uneasy when Anil Kumble was the coach and once Shastri and the support staff came in he felt comfortable and able to enjoy his captaincy. The new coach (Rahul Dravid) is not Ravi Shastri. would have had an idea of the kind of support he would get from him,” he stated.
Manjrekar also pointed out that Kohli has come out of his comfort zone.
promoted
“Obviously, it’s a guy who’s out of his comfort zone. Individually, his percussion isn’t at his best. It all just adds up. He’s not in a great space right now. These are all emotional decisions that one can understand.
Notably, the announcement of Kohli’s Test captaincy came a day after India lost the three-match Test series in South Africa.
Topics mentioned in this article