'I wish he had continued' - Shardul Thakur reacts to Virat Kohli's decision of stepping down as India's T20I captain

Saying Virat Kohli’s decision of stepping down as captain after the upcoming T20 World Cup 2021 was shocking would be an understatement. After all, the star cricketer boasts of an exceptional record in the shortest international format. However, with an increase in workload, the star cricketer decided to relieve himself from one responsibility. Kohli made the major announcement by posting a long note on social media on Thursday (September 16).

Needless to mention, Kohli’s decision took the cricket world by storm and social media went into a frenzy. Several members of cricket fraternity also reacted to the star cricketer’s call. While many backed his decision, numerous were shocked. Indian pacer Shardul Thakur belongs to the latter category. Saying the call was surprising, the right-arm pacer said he would have liked Kohli to lead the T20I team for some more time.

Virat Kohli has done the job for India since the past few years: Shardul Thakur

Shardul also said he would congratulate Kohli but only after India wins the T20 World Cup. It’s quite surprising. I wish he had continued (as captain after the T20 World Cup too), but he has done the job for India since the past few years,” Thakur said in a conversation with the Times of India.

“According to him, maybe it’s time to move on as the India T20 captain. I haven’t had the opportunity to speak to him. I would like to congratulate him on his time as the India T20 captain, but only after we win this World Cup. Till then, he is still our captain,” he added.

In 47 T20Is as captain so far, Kohli has led India to 27 wins. In this duration, the right-handed batter has also piled up a mountain of runs. In fact, he is the only batter to have over 3000 runs in T20I cricket. Hence, he would like to end his tenure as T20I captain note. It has to be noted that Kohli will continue leading the Test and ODI side. He’ll even play T20Is as a batter after the global event.

Meanwhile, Kohli is currently gearing up for the second leg of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. With five wins in seven games, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) were third in the team standings at the time of season suspension. Hence, Kohli would want to take his side to the elusive title.