'He is a fantastic leader' - Dale Steyn backs Virat Kohli’s decision to leave RCB captaincy after IPL 2021

Virat Kohli has taken a couple of massive decisions this week and left the cricket world in shock. While the talismanic cricketer will step down as India’s T20I captain after this year’s T20 World Cup, he’ll also quit Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captaincy following the conclusion of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. With Kohli’s decisions becoming the talk of the town, several prominent members of the cricket fraternity also expressed their views over the matter.

Former South African pace spearhead Dale Steyn is the latest one to join the bandwagon. Steyn, who has shared the RCB dressing room with Kohli, backed the batsman’s decision. Speaking particularly about Kohli leaving the RCB captaincy, the Proteas legend opined the veteran took the decision to manage his personal and professional life.

Virat Kohli has got a young family right now: Dale Steyn

“He’s been with RCB from the very beginning. I don’t know, as life goes on you start to prioritise things. He’s (Virat) got a young family right now and captaincy can weigh heavily on the brain, and your personal life can also heavily weigh on you,” said Steyn to T20 Time Out on Espncricinfo on Monday.

With Kohli, 32, being the latter part of his career, Steyn believes the right-handed batter can play more freely without the burden of leading the team. He also said Kohli is a fantastic leader and his skills shouldn’t be questioned. Steyn even said Kohli might unleash his A-game in the IPL and the succeeding T20 World Cup.

“We don’t doubt his captaincy. He is a fantastic leader and his personal achievements speak for themselves. So it’s really up to him as to what he wants to do so. Maybe it’s a good decision as the (T20) World Cup is around the corner. We could see the best of Virtat coming out in the remaining of the IPL (games) and the World Cup.”

Meanwhile, RCB would be confident ahead of the UAE leg. After all, they enjoyed a gala time in the initial half of the season. With five wins in seven games, the Bangalore-based side was third in the team standings at the time of season suspension. Notably, Virat Kohli’s men will resume their campaign against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Monday (September 20).