3 potential outcomes of Virat Kohli's captaincy decision
International cricket will lose another all-format captain soon as India skipper Virat Kohli has announced that he will step down from the T20I captaincy following the 2021 T20 World Cup.
Most of the top international teams like Australia and England have already adopted a split captaincy approach, with only a few teams like New Zealand backing one man to lead the team across formats. Others like Pakistan and South Africa, while currently captained by Babar Azam and Temba Bavuma respectively across formats, have some rumors swirling around the future of their skippers.
It remains to be seen how Virat Kohli's decision impacts India, since it's almost unheard of for an international team to have different captains in each white-ball format. Here are three potential outcomes of Kohli's captaincy choice.
#3 Rohit Sharma could finally showcase his T20 captaincy skills at the international level
For someone who has never been appointed as the regular captain, Rohit Sharma has been at the helm of a number of matches for India. The 34-year-old has captained the side in 19 T20Is, of which he has come out on top 15 times.
The record is a perfect idea of what Rohit could bring to the table for India. An accomplished captain who has won five Indian Premier League titles for the Mumbai Indians, he could use his stellar tactical knowledge and calmness to push India to greater heights.
Rohit is a once-in-a-generation player, but he has been overshadowed by Kohli's exploits. He could finally get the chance to showcase his T20 captaincy skills at the international level.
#2 Virat Kohli's Test and ODI performances could take a massive leap
Click here to see yesterday T20 World Cup match result and scorecard.
It's frightening to think about what Virat Kohli could achieve as a batsman and captain without the added pressure of holding the reins in the T20 format. Leadership has historically elevated his game, but the constant bio-bubbles and cross-format series must have taken a toll on him.
With the mental and physical freedom that not captaining in T20Is would bring, Kohli could replicate the batting feats from most of the past decade that have all but cemented his standing as one of the greatest of all time. He has been without a century in almost two years, but that could all change after the T20 World Cup.
Kohli will still probably score a heap of runs in T20Is, but he could reach something close to batting perfection in ODIs and Tests.
#1 India could be under pressure to deliver at the T20 World Cup
With a win percentage of 64.44, Virat Kohli is second in the list of most successful T20I captains who have played at least 40 matches. Given that he's decided to step down despite his incredible record in the format, India might be under pressure to give their most successful captain a proper send-off.
Most successful T20I captains
(min 40 mts)
Win% - Captain (Mts-Won-Lost-Nr)
80.77 - Asghar Afghan (52-42-10-0)
64.44 - Virat Kohli (45-29-14-2)
62.50 - Faf du Plessis (40-25-15-0)
60.94 - Eoin Morgan (64-39-24-1)
59.57 - Darren Sammy (47-28-17-2)
58.33 - MS Dhoni (72-42-28-2)
India have enough pressure on them in ICC tournaments already, having fallen short a few times since their 2013 Champions Trophy win. Kohli's announcement might tip them over the edge, especially since they'll enter the T20 World Cup without a lot of T20I cricket under their belt.
The second phase of the 2021 Indian Premier League will help, but India will come into the T20 World Cup knowing that anything apart from a title triumph will be considered a failure. While this could work in their favor, it's more likely that the Men in Blue will be under the pump in the UAE.