Virat Kohli’s sudden decision to step down as Test captain in January gave a shock to not only to fans but also to the cricket fraternity. The veteran stepped down from the captaincy in the longest format a day after India faced a 1-2 Test series defeat to South Africa. Kohli had earlier quit the T20I captaincy and in December, he was sacked from ODI captaincy and opener Rohit Sharma replaced him in the limited-overs formats. On Thursday, Team India pacer Shardul Thakur said that Kohli’s decision came as a shock to him.
“It was an emotional moment for everyone. No one expected that he would resign from Test captaincy,” Thakur told Indian Express. “We did well under his captaincy, especially overseas. Those series we lost overseas were close ones. The team was doing well under him and no one expected this. However, now that he has made his decision, everyone should respect it.”
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Both Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul are being considered as successors to Virat Kohli for Test captaincy, with young wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is also in the race. Rahul had led the team in the second Test of the series against South Africa as Kohli was forced to miss the game due to back spasms. And, on January 15, Kohli had announced his decision to step down as Test captain as well.
“It has been seven years of hard work, toil and relentless perseverance everyday to take the team in the right direction. I’ve done the job with absolute honest and left nothing out there. Every thing has to come to a halt at some stage and for me as Test Captain of India, it’s now,” Kohli wrote on his official social media platforms,” Shardul Thakur stated.
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“There have been many ups and also some downs along the journey, but never has there been a lack of effort or lack of belief. I have always believed in giving my 120 percent in everything I do, and if I can’t do that, I know it’s night the right thing to do. I have absolute clarity in my heart and I cannot be dishonest to my team,” Shardul Thakur concluded.
