Focus and determination unmatched: Jay Shah leads tributes as Kohli quits as T20I captain

BCCI Secretary Jay Shah lead reactions on Virat Kohli announcing to quit as the T20I captain after the men's T20 World Cup in Oman and the UAE in October and November. In his statement, Kohli said, "I feel I need to give myself space to be fully ready to lead the Indian Team in Test and ODI Cricket."

As per what Kohli said, the decision was taken after consulting Shah, head coach Ravi Shastri, his deputy captain in white-ball matches Rohit Sharma and BCCI President Sourav Ganguly. Kohli made his T20I captaincy debut in the three-match home T20I series against England in 2017. In 45 T20Is, Kohli led India to 27 wins and 14 losses with two matches tied and two matches yielding no result, becoming India's second most successful skipper in the format after MS Dhoni. Under Kohli, India won 12 out of 17 series while losing two and drawing three.

"Thanks @imVKohli for your contribution as the #TeamIndia captain. As a young talent the focus and determination you have showed as the captain is unmatched. The most impressive aspect was the way of maintaining balance between captaincy and individual performance," tweeted Shah.

"Virat Kohli's contribution to the Indian T20 cricket team as captain was immense. It can never be forgotten. This is his personal decision and we respect it. @imVkohli @BCCI," wrote BCCI Vice-President Rajiv Shukla.


"Big news coming in from the indian camp ! Knew it would happen but not so soon! #viratkholi." tweeted former India cricketer and selector Jatin Paranjape.

"So what we all heard a few days back was true after all #Viratkohli #Captaincy," wrote former India cricketer S Badrinath.

"Surely it came as a shock to hear @imVkohli stepping down from the T20 captaincy after the World Cup. Looking forward to India winning the world cup as it will be a perfect tribute to his captaincy and hope the team carries his legacy forward," tweeted former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan.


"@imVkohli we are with you in your Decision. I am sure we will win this #worldcup under your captaincy. Wish you All the best. #captaincy," wrote former India pacer Munaf Patel.

"Kings know when to relinquish the throne. @imVkohli has done what Kings generally do and designate a heir to the throne," tweeted former Mumbai cricketer Shishir Hattangadi - IANS