Why did Virat Kohli step down from India T20 cricket captaincy?

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Gulf News experts discuss the reasons behind Kohli’s decision and possible contenders.  See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km  See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km  Subscribe to Gulf News on YouTube and watch more of our videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/GulfNewsTV  #cricket #ViratKohli #India

Transcript

00:00No, it was not really unexpected. I mean, there had been a talk about this for quite some time.

00:12Hello everyone. Welcome to Straight Bad with Gulsh News. I am Shyam Krishna. With me is Gautam and Jayaprasad and Satish.

00:21We are here to discuss the latest news from the Indian cricket that the keeper has

00:31decided to step down from the T20 captaincy. This news has been around for a while.

00:36Today, finally, it's been revealed. He himself has revealed on Twitter. Let's look at the

00:40ramifications and what it means for Indian cricket. Gautam, was this totally unexpected?

00:46No, it was not really unexpected. I mean, there had been a talk about this for quite some time.

00:54But I think finally, and there was a bit of a pressure to, you know, finally look at

01:01a kind of roadmap, which the Indian board of mandarins are now saying. But I question the

01:08timing of the announcement, Shyam. I mean, it could have been, you know, either way, it could

01:16have been. Maybe by this, Kohli also wants to give a signal that if they end up winning the World Cup,

01:22his decision is not going to change.

01:30Satish, what do you think prompted the decision? Do you think, like he says, the workload is

01:37basically timing to balance the workload. Do you think it's a workload because he's

01:42continuing part of the T20 team. He's only stepping down from the captaincy. So how does

01:48the workload diminish here? There are many things and we can spin it in many ways, Shyam.

01:58One is the change of a new guard is also a good thing because I think Kohli has been

02:04in the international scene for the last 13 years. I think, let's not forget it. He came into the

02:09scene in 2008. So 13 years of international, it's going to take its toll and he's 32. He's

02:17not going to get any younger, though he's fit. In a way, I think T20 is a logical step to give

02:24up one by one. I think if you go by what Dhoni has done, he has done the same way. He has

02:29shed off, left T20 test cricket first and then he continued with the one day. So

02:35in a way, there is a precedence to that as well. And there are a lot of other talks as well,

02:41like Ravi Shastri going off, maybe now Dhoni coming into the picture as a mentor.

02:49There are a lot of signs that there is a clear way, thinking forward, going forward.

02:54Maybe I'm reading too much into the things, but there is a clear sign that

02:59there is a thought process going to the next step.

03:04Jay, the next question to you, Jay.

03:10The simple thing, Satish said that this will help because he's citing the example of

03:16Dhoni, but Dhoni moved it the other way from test to one day to T20. Actually, T20,

03:24need less, I mean, it's a four hour match and also the time you spend in the middle is less.

03:31So how do you think this will impact his decision?

03:46Especially in India, we have been playing too much of that. If you actually see,

03:51most part of our cricket is 2020. Like if you have bilateral tours that's happening,

03:54the highest matches that are happening is T20. So leading T20 and then again getting into the

04:00test mode and then again getting into ODI mode, there is a lot of stress that comes along with

04:04it. He's done it very well. He's done, I think, over a point of time when you've not won a big

04:11major event, like he's come close so many times in the ICC tournaments, but he's never won it.

04:17So I think after a point you realize that it's too much of hard work that goes and other than

04:22that, he's a fitness freak, you need to understand. So there's a lot of work outside the ground that

04:26he has to cover. So with that, the pressure on captaincy might be a little too much,

04:31though it's not affected his batting so far. Probably with age, I think you need to relax a

04:38bit to ensure that you can stay in the circuit for a longer period. So I think he just wants to

04:46let go a little bit of pressure from the current responsibilities and I think we know that

04:53Rohit Sharma will be very, very likely to replace him and that would be a good decision because

04:58Rohit Sharma has been very successful in T20 formats and Mumbai Indians, he proved that in

05:03Asia Cup also here. So given that, I think this would be a good move for India and Virat Kohli

05:09can play at ease when he's not actually handling the captaincy part.

05:17Gautam, is Virat Kohli the natural successor?

05:22You mean Rohit Sharma?

05:23Rohit Sharma.

05:24Yes. Yeah. I mean, see, there have been some…

05:27Rohit Sharma, sorry.

05:28Yeah. The way the Indian cricket operates and the kind of build-up that has come here.

05:36I mean, we have never believed in horses-for-courses policy unless Dhoni had to step

05:43out to make it. But Kohli is a big fan of Test cricket. He wants to definitely prolong his

05:50career. He has also kept the… he hasn't let go the entire white ball thing. He has kept the 50 overs

05:59to him, which means 2023 World Cup is there as well as this cycle of World Test Championship is

06:05there. But having stepped down from this one, I mean, so far, he had been a kind of indispensable

06:12part of all the setup. But the moment he let go of the captaincy of T20 and as Jai said that we

06:20India plays so much T20 games these days. I mean, whenever you are planning a short bilateral tour,

06:26if there are 3 ODIs, at least 4 or 5 T20s or 3 T20s definitely. So, we won't be surprised

06:34like if he goes the Tendulkar way and also starts picking and choosing a bit because

06:41he is in a position to do that. I mean, if he doesn't play a T20 series against

06:47the West Indies or Sri Lanka, he doesn't lose out much. He is only 32 and he can definitely look at

06:56prolonging his career by another 5 to 6 years. He is a batsman.

07:03Satish, do you see anybody else other than Rohit challenging the position for captaincy?

07:10No, Shyam. Rohit is actually, he has waited far too long. Actually, if you look at even he did

07:17well in the Asia Cup here in UAE. And again, just going back one step back, though it is 20 overs,

07:25the intensity with which the T20s are played, that takes a lot of toll and the planning and

07:30everything comes in a lot. So, I think going by that, the T20s are still a stressful and

07:39very high-intensity game. And I think Rohit will be the best bet in my opinion, unless and

07:44otherwise, the think tank is seeing Panth or somebody to take it a longer distance because

07:52Panth has been leading Delhi and he has done well as well this year. So, you never know,

07:57that could be a surprise as well. Like how Dhoni came in, in 2007, when the Indian team

08:03did badly. So, anything was on the cards. So, maybe if they are looking at a longer run

08:10in the shorter format, it could be even a youngster like Panth.

08:17Jay, what about Shreyas Iyer? Won't he make a good captain for India?

08:22More than Shreyas Iyer, I think, given the current situation, if you are not looking into

08:27Rohit Sharma, I would still, as you said, Rishabh Panth is a very good hand. But even better,

08:34I would say, KL Rahul has the potential. He has been doing really well. He has been

08:38exceptionally good with his recent… And I think that guy, personally, I have tracked him when I

08:46was covering Karnataka cricket and I know he has got that mindset to take on the leadership. So,

08:54probably, to start off, trying to experiment the next generation, probably you can start with

09:01KL Rahul or somebody. And then, in the years to come, I am sure Kohli will let go his other

09:07responsibilities as well. So, you can start grooming youngsters. Rohit Sharma is already,

09:12I mean, he is a senior cricketer. So, if you are looking at a youngster,

09:15I think probably Panth or KL Rahul will make a good bet.

09:21I would support… Sorry, Shubh. Go ahead. I would support Jay's point in one way because

09:28Rahul, with the captaincy, his performance has improved. It has not dipped. When he took over

09:34the Punjab captaincy, he has actually done better. So, just to reiterate what he said, I think Rahul

09:40is a good bet as well. Sorry. Yeah. I think if you are looking beyond Rohit, it would be KL Rahul.

09:49That is a good one. Because Panth is in his first season. And Shai has also, I think, is a little

09:57raw or too early to judge. Gautam, what do you think? Was this Kohli's own decision or was it

10:03forced on him? See, it's difficult to say what transpired during the entire England tour. But

10:11definitely one subplot is there. That is, after the T20 World Cup, there is going to be a change

10:16at the top. And Ravi Shastri, it is now almost not a very well-kept secret that he is not interested

10:25in getting even another short-term extension. He is reportedly, he is tired of the kind of bubble

10:35life that he had been living for the last one and a half to two years. And also, he is completing

10:42his third term. So, if they look afresh, and I was looking at what once again, the President and

10:50Board Secretary Jay Shah had to say, they are talking about the word roadmap. So that's very

10:56interesting. I mean, like, if you have got a new setup, and if you've got a split captaincy, then

11:01you're really looking at things in a little more equitable distribution of power,

11:10rather than having everything, having all the decisions taken by one captain and the coach.

11:19Jay, do you think this is anything to do with Kohli's aggressiveness or

11:26opting for a more softer approach or a more mature approach that Rohit would bring,

11:32or anybody else would bring it on the field?

11:36No, Kohli's, see, the previous question you had asked that, would he be under pressure or

11:42the BCI would put him? I don't think there will be any pressure on Kohli because he stayed in the

11:47team and he's been one of the prominent figures in the team. I don't think he would have actually

11:51succumbed to any pressure or something like that. But the age catching up and your experience,

11:59you need to know what is best for you, especially if you want to continue in the game for a longer

12:06time. So I think probably he sat down, he's understood, he's seen how Dhoni has done it.

12:11He's actually seen how seniors how they've done it, how they've slowly faded from the main

12:16commitment. And then given that thing, he's, I think, now understood that it's time to

12:23hand over the responsibility and make himself a little more comfortable and ease the pressure

12:28that's already going through. And we should understand that captaining Indian team is

12:34always a high pressure job. So when you're doing it for all three formats,

12:38you are really under pressure. I mean, yeah, especially when you're doing an overseas

12:42tour and one match goes wrong, you know, the kind of pressure we go through.

12:46We have seen that in the past, how Dhoni had suffered, they couldn't come back to India.

12:51A lot of people are against. So all these things play in your mind. So given that thing, I think

12:56after a point of time, you know that, OK, it's time to relax a bit and take it easy.

13:01So given in that scenario, I think I would still offer Rohit Ma for the replacement.

13:08But if the BCI is looking at an youngster to start training him for the next future

13:16captain, I think the names we suggested previously, I think they hold good.

13:21Satish, Gautam just said that Shastri is not looking at another

13:28team if he wouldn't want another tour, especially given the bubble.

13:30And I've seen Dhoni has been a mentor also. So does it signify a change of guard,

13:38a complete change of guard? I think so, Sham. This could be just a prelude.

13:44This is, again, my gut feeling. This is just a prelude. And we are talking two things. One,

13:50we are bringing in Dhoni in a mentor role. And we are also trying to groom and there is a

13:55roadmap for the future. So no better person than Dhoni, because I still feel that the 2007

14:02World Cup, T20 World Cup was a significant milestone in the annals of Indian cricket,

14:07because that's where it was proved that with a good captaincy, with good planning,

14:12you can win things. We can win big tournaments with an amateur squad or a rookie squad,

14:19whatever you can say. I get a strong feeling that it will be a smooth transition. In my gut

14:24feeling, if Dhoni comes in, or I would even say as a Dhoni fan and a CSK fan, I would always

14:31say that he is a good person to be in the dressing room. And for no reason, he is called Mr. Cool

14:40or the Cool Captain. So I think if you're looking at it as a future, as a youngster,

14:47leading the side, I think Dhoni needs to be there. And again, looking at Rohit Sharma,

14:52he is also 34. He is older than Rohit Virat Kohli. So him playing all three formats and him

14:57captaining the Indian team will be a big burden and we will actually lose Rohit Sharma as a

15:03batsman, because he is a very, very treasured batsman and probably one of the best in the world

15:08today. So if you look at all that put together, I strongly feel it is a youngster, probably

15:18the likes of Dhoni mentoring them and taking that forward, that team forward, basically.

15:27So for all of us to agree that this is something which was expected and which was

15:36coming in an Indian case, because Rohit had previously left, led India in 19-20 matches

15:42and he's done creditably well. So this has to happen. The only thing is, if as long as

15:48Virat Kohli was there, Rohit is not going to lead. But now Rohit with Kohli stepping aside,

15:54if the way is clear for Rohit to lead. And also like we said earlier, if and when the BCCI wants

16:01a new leader, we have Kale Rahul already. I think all of us are pretty much in agreement on that too.

16:06So thank you very much for watching us. And we are pretty much clear on that. And if for more

16:13updates on cricket, please log on to gulfnews.com and all our social media channels. Thank you very

16:18much. Thank you. Bye-bye. Thank you. Bye-bye.

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