Virat Kohli to step down as India's T20I captain after T20 World Cup

Virat Kohli said on Thursday that he will step down as the Twenty20 International (T20I) captain of the Indian team after the T20 World Cup.

The upcoming ICC event, which is due to be played between October and November this year in Oman and the UAE, will be Kohli's first T20 World Cup as India's captain.

In a statement that he shared put on social media, Kohli said that he took the final call after consulting head coach Ravi Shastri and his teammates, including Rohit Sharma. The skipper also mentioned that he has already conveyed his decision to Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah.

Kohli pointed out that workload management was the reason behind his decision to give up T20I captaincy. While it is yet to be decided who'll succeed him, his deputy Rohit is expected to take over.

Since taking over the limited-overs charge from MS Dhoni in 2017, Kohli has led India in 45 T20Is. He has a win percentage of 64.44 with 29 victories and 14 defeats.

"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 without them - the boys, the support staff, the selection committee, my coaches and each and every Indian who played for us to win," Kohli wrote in a statement on social media.

"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 the 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 discussion with my close people, Ravi Bhai and also Rohit, who has been an essential part of the leadership group, I have decided to step down as the T20 captain after this T20 World Cup in Dubai in October," added Kohli in the same statement.

Kohli has been a part of the Indian T20I side since 2010 and as a batsman, he has scored over 3,000 runs for India at an average of 52.65. While he has registered 70 international centuries, he is yet to reach the triple-digit mark in the T20Is.

"I have also spoken to secretary Mr. Jay Shah and the president of the BCCI Mr Sourav Ganguly along with the selectors about the same. I will continue to serve Indian cricket and the Indian team to the best of my ability," Kohli wrote further.

India will kickstart their T20 World Cup campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on Oct. 24.