Star batter Virat Kohli finally revealed the reason behind quitting the India captaincy. The Delhi-born was asked to step aside from the role in T20I cricket and was later removed from ODIs as well, with Rohit Sharma replacing him. However, when it came to Test cricket, Kohli was backed by the BCCI officials, but he called it quits after an away series against South Africa in early 2022.
Revealing the reason behind the move, the veteran mentioned that the capitnacy took a toll on him and drained him both mentally and emotionally. Notably, under his leadership, India won 40 out of 68 Tests and remained regular contenders in ICC white-ball tournaments, reaching the 2017 Champions Trophy final and the semi-finals of the 2019 ODI World Cup. Yet behind the results, Kohli said the pressure kept building until there was little left for him to give.
“I ended up being in a place where I became the focal point of our batting unit. And then I became the focal point of leadership. I didn’t realise how much of a load both those things will present in my daily life, to be honest. But because I was so driven and motivated to just make sure that Indian cricket stays on top, I didn’t really pay attention to it. And that’s precisely why by the time I left captaincy, I was completely spent. Like there was nothing left in the tank to give. And I was completely consumed by it. So, yes, it was gruesome,” Kohli said in the third edition of the RCB Innovation Lab’s Indian Sports Summit on Tuesday.
The former skipper explained how difficult it became to balance expectations attached to both his own performances and the team’s results.
“It was difficult to manage expectations of, okay, if you win, you don’t score runs, then, you’re asked about your performances. And if you perform and you don’t win, you’re asked about the results. So I was always juggling between the two and trying to manage as best as I could,” the 37-year-old said.
Dravid and Rathour’s contribution
Kohli also revisited the difficult phase he endured in Test cricket during 2021 and 2022 before bouncing back strongly the following year. He credited Rahul Dravid and Vikram Rathour for helping him regain confidence during that period.
“Rahul bhai and Vikram Rathour. I’ve said this many times. I had a great run in Test Cricket in 2023. Whenever I see them, whenever I meet them, I always thank them from the bottom of my heart,” he said.
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