“Just like Dhoni, Kohli will like to play the same role and help the new captain” - Coach Rajkumar Sharma
India captain Virat Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma has said that the outgoing T20I captain will be keen to help his replacement, similar to how MS Dhoni helped Kohli.
The 32-year-old Kohli, on Thursday, stunned the cricketing fraternity by releasing a statement on social media, confirming that he will quit T20I captaincy after the World Cup in the UAE.
While the BCCI is yet to reveal who will take over from Kohli as T20I leader, according to Sharma, the current captain will be more than willing to aid his successor.
"New captain will bring new ideas and new strategies, so it will interesting to see who is named as the skipper. Just like what (MS) Dhoni did, Virat (Kohli) too will like to play the same role and help the new captain," Sharma was quoted as telling ANI.
The coach added that having made the decision to quit T20I captaincy, Kohli will be all the more determined and focused on winning the upcoming T20 World Cup 2021.
"He will be more determined and focused to win the T20 World Cup, as he will want to leave India's T20I captaincy on a high,” reckoned Sharma.
Announcing his decision to step away from T20I captaincy, Kohli explained that he wanted some space so he could focus on leading the team in Tests and ODIs.
India’s away T20I series wins under Virat Kohli 🤩🇮🇳
He is the only Asian captain to win a T20I series in South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia 🔥
#India #TeamIndia https://t.co/yY2mDtIN2h
“Virat Kohli will want to lead India in the Test format for a longer period” - Rajkumar Sharma
Analysing Kohli’s decision to give up T20I captaincy after the World Cup in October-November, Sharma termed the move a thoughtful one.
"It is a thoughtful decision; he had discussed with me also about this. Captaining in three formats does put a player under pressure, and hence he decided to step down from T20I captaincy,” Sharma said.
Kohli’s childhood coach also pointed out that the cricketer would be keen to lead the team for a longer duration in Test matches.
"We were discussing about it, as it is a big issue; I was sure about it. Virat loves the Test format, and he will want to lead India in the Test format for a longer period and ODI too, hence he decided to step down from T20I captaincy to ease off the pressure,” Sharma explained.
Although Kohli is quitting as T20I captain, he has confirmed that he will be available for selection as a player in the 20-over format.
These are the T20 World Cup captains for all 16 teams participating in the tournament, click here to read.
Virat Kohli’s captaincy record in T20 internationals 🤩🇮🇳
Win percentage of over 6️⃣5️⃣ 👏
#India #TeamIndia https://t.co/QcgUasHKqk
As captain, Kohli has led India in 45 T20Is, winning 27 and losing 14. Two matches were tied, and two games produced no results.