Former cricketers have questioned the timing of Virat Kohli’s announcement that he will step down as Royal Challengers Bangalore captain at the end of the IPL 2021 season, saying “if you want to do that, you probably do it after the tournament”.
Three days back, Kohli had also dropped a bombshell — just a month before the ICC World T20 to begin — that he will stand down from Team India T20 captaincy after the mega sporting spectacle in UAE and Oman.
On Sunday night, he shared the news on Twitter – just hours before their first game in the resumed IPL 2021 on Monday — that he will quit RCB captaincy as well. The timings of both the announcements have left the former cricketers a bit “surprised”. They believe that Kohli has “unsettled” his RCB side.
The match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the United Arab Emirates will be’Kohli’s 200th for Bangalore. Former India opener Gautam Gambhir said Kohli’s timing had surprised him and would not help Bangalore’s quest for a first IPL title. “If you want to do that, you probably do it after the tourn”ment,” Gambhir said on Star Sp”rts. “Because it makes the team unsettled and emotional as well.”
Whereas, former batsman Sanjay Manjrekar said, “I am just curious about both the announcements as to why he had to do it before the tournaments,” Manjrekar was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
Kohli was made Bangalore’s captain in 2013, but despite his superstar status, the team’s best finish was losing in 2016 final. Kohli insisted his decision had been “well thought (out) and in the best interest of this wonderful franchise”.
