India's most successful Test captain Virat Kohli took a big decision on Saturday. He announced to leave the captaincy of India in the Test format. Virat informed me about his decision by writing a long post on social media. Under his captaincy, India had to face defeat in the 3-match Test series against South Africa recently. He left the Test captaincy only 1 day after the end of the series. He has left the T20 captaincy, after which the captaincy in the ODI format was taken away from him.
Virat Kohli wrote a long post on social media. During this, Virat said that there were many ups and downs in this journey but there was no dearth of efforts or faith. Under his leadership, the Indian Test team performed very well. Under the captaincy of Virat, India reached the final of the first World Test Championship (WTC) but could not win the title.
It has taken hard work and tireless dedication every day for 7 years to take the team in the right direction. I have done this work with utmost sincerity and nothing is left in it. Everything comes to an end at some level or the other and for me as India's Test captain, it is now. There were many ups and downs in this journey, but there was never any lack of effort or faith.
I always believe in giving my 120 percent in everything I do and if I can't do it then I know it's not the right thing to do. I have complete clarity in my heart and I can never be dishonest towards my team.
I want to thank BCCI for allowing me to lead my country for so long. More importantly, thank you to all my teammates who supported me from day one and never gave up in any situation. You guys have made this journey so memorable and beautiful.
Thanks also to Ravi Bhai (former head coach Ravi Shastri) and support staff who were like the engine behind this vehicle which continuously took us upwards in test cricket. You all have played a big role in making this vision a reality. Lastly, many thanks to MS Dhoni who believed in me as a captain and found me to be a capable person who could take Indian cricket forward.
Under Virat's captaincy, India won 40 out of 68 Tests
Virat Kohli took over the captaincy in the Test format in 2014. The 33-year-old batsman has so far led the Indian Test team in 68 matches and won 40 matches during this period. Virat, who made his Test debut in 2011, has played 99 matches so far in this format and has scored a total of 7962 runs with 27 centuries, 28 half-centuries.
