Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes Virat Kohli should have stick to the captaincy of the Indian T20I team for a bit longer. Pathan also expressed his views over split captaincy as he isn’t fond of the idea to name different captains for different formats.
Indian skipper Virat Kohli, on Thursday, announced that he will be stepping down from the captaincy of the Indian T20I team to manage his workload. This decision sent a wave of different emotions among cricket experts and pundits.
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Irfan Pathan didn’t like the idea of Kohli leaving the captaincy in one format.
“I am not a big believer of that (split captaincy), especially with our culture. I think there should be one captain, one leader across all formats. Yes, Australian team and the New Zealand team have done it but their culture is different, our culture is very different. I believe having one leader always helps,” Pathan told CNN-News18.
Virat Kohli was handed the reins of India’s limited-overs team when MS Dhoni stepped down in January 2017. Kohli has led India to series victories in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies, England and Sri Lanka, which makes him among the most successful T20I skippers.
Rohit Sharma, who has won five Indian Premier League titles for Mumbai Indians, is likely to fill in Kohli’s shoes.
Pathan wants India to win the upcoming T20 World Cup 2021 in the UAE and give Kohli a memorable send-off from his captaincy.
Also Read: Virat Kohli wants to unburden himself by letting go T20I captaincy, believes MSK Prasad
“I was surprised with the timing of it, but as a player, there are times when your brain tells you, you contemplate something, you take opinions of your family, your friends, your coaches.
“Then you get into making a big decision like that. I am sure he must have thought about it a lot. I wish him all the luck. I really hope that the Indian team wins the World Cup under his leadership then he leaves a legacy in white-ball cricket.”
“If he had held on to the white ball especially T20 cricket captaincy, he has so many opportunities as a leader to tell the world what kind of leader he is. I really thought he could have held on to it a bit longer,” Pathan added.
India’s campaign in the T20 World Cup 2021 will kick off against Pakistan on October 24 in Dubai.
