Reports: Virat Kohli informed teammates about leaving Test captaincy a day before tweeting

Virat Kohli dropped a major bombshell on Friday (January 15) as he decided to step down as Test captain with immediate effect. His shocking announcement took the cricket world by storm as Kohli enjoyed a sensational run while leading the team in the longest format. In fact, he steps down as India’s most successful Test captain, having taken India to 40 wins in 68 outings. Owing to all these factors, his decision was nothing but jaw-dropping.

However, it has been reported that Kohli informed his teammates about the decision a day before making the official announcement. Hours after India’s Test series defeat against South Africa, Kohli called for a team meeting and ended it with a request and announcement. While revealing his decision to leave Test captaincy, Kohli urged his teammates to keep the news to themselves.

Virat Kohli requested teammates to not reveal his decision

“I ask a small favour, please don’t share with anybody outside the dressing room,” a member in that meeting was quoted as saying by the Indian Express. For the unversed, Team India faced a lot of criticism after missing a chance to win their maiden Test series in South Africa. Kohli’s men even won the opening Test but the hosts bounced back and clinched the series 2-1.

Speaking of Kohli’s sensational Twitter post, Kohli, who took the over the Test captaincy from MS Dhoni in 2015, thanked BCCI for the opportunity of leading the national team. “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 halt at some stage and for me as Test Captain of India, it’s now,” Kohli wrote in his tweet.

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— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) January 15, 2022

“I want to thank the BCCI for giving me the opportunity to lead my country for such a 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,” the 33-year-old added.