Virat Kohli steps down as India's Test captain

Virat Kohli on Saturday announced that he is stepping down as India's Test captain with immediate effect. The 33-year old took to Twitter to announce his decision a day after the 2-1 series loss against South Africa.

Kohli, who stepped down as India's T20I captain after the T20 World Cup in November, was replaced by Rohit Sharma as the ODI captain for the South Africa series. 

The Delhi batter felt that he had always given his all as the captain for seven years and it was time for him to step down.

"It's been 7 years of hard work, toil and relentless perseverance everyday to take the team in the right direction. I've done the job with absolute honesty and left nothing out there. Every thing has to come to a hart at some stage and for me as Test Captain of India, it's now," Kohli wrote on Twitter.

"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  can't do that, I know it's not the right thing to do. I have absolute clarity in my heart and I cannot be dishonest to my team," he added.

Under Kohli, India reclaimed the No.1 ranking in Tests and recorded their first Test series win in Australia in 2019-20 and dominated overseas Tests against England. He thanked the BCCI and his teammates for believing in his vision.

"I want to thank the BCCI for giving me the opportunity to lead my country for such long period of time and more importantly to all the teammates who bought into the vision I had for the team from day one and never gave up in any situation. You guys made this journey so memorable and beautiful."

Since taking over the reins form MS Dhoni in 2014 during the series against Australia, Kohli led India in 68 Tests, winning 40 of them, losing 17 and drew 11. He is sixth among most Test wins as a captain, behind Australian great Ricky Ponting and West Indies legend Clive Lloyd. Kohli thanked his mentor Dhoni and former head coach Ravi Shastri for trusting him with the captaincy.

"To Ravi Bhai and the support group who were the engine behind this vehicle that moved us upwards in Test Cricket consistently, you all have played a massive role in bringing this vision to life. Lastly, a big thank you to MS Dhoni who believed in me as a Captain and found me to be an able individual who could take Indian Cricket forward."

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly said that the selectors had asked Kohli not to give up T20I captaincy after the World Cup in Oman and UAE, to which Kohli provided a contrasting take by saying that he received no such communication.

Rohit Sharma, who had been named as the Test vice-captain ahead of the South Africa tour, is a likely replacement for Kohli as the skipper while opening batter KL Rahul, who led the team in the second Test against South Africa, could also be considered for the role.