Same captain across formats helps team culture but Kohli in best position to know how much it's affecting him: John Buchanan

Only three days after announcing his decision to step down as India’s T20I skipper post the conclusion of the 2021 T20 World Cup, Virat Kohli announced that the ongoing Indian Premier League edition will be his last at the helm of Royal Challengers Bangalore, the only franchise Kohli has represented in all 13 years of his IPL experience.

Kohli confirmed that he would continue to be a part of the team, as he “can’t think of being in any other team than RCB”, although his association with the team as a captain will only last as long as the IPL 2021.

“I’ve spoken to the squad this evening before the second leg of the tournament starts, to inform everyone that this is going to be my last leg in the IPL as captain of RCB,” Kohli said in a video message put out by the franchise on social media. “I spoke to the management this evening, something that was on my mind for a while, as I recently announced stepping down from [India] T20 captaincy as well to manage my workload, which has been immense over the last so many years.

Reacting on Kohli’s decision, Australia’s John Buchanan stated that being a captain across formats helps the team have a consistent culture. But he reckoned further that Kohli is in the best position to decide how much is captaincy taking a toll on him.

Kohli’s in best position to know how much triple captaincy is affecting his game: John Buchanan

“Firstly, my view is that if you can have the same captain across all formats, it is easier for the team culture to remain consistent. However, to do so requires a support staff that is geared for long form (Tests) and short form (ODI&T20).”

“That is, below the head coach whom I believe should be similar to the captain, i.e., in charge and across all formats, there should be support teams dedicated to the different formats.”

“In Kohli’s case, he is in the best position to know how much the triple captaincy role is affecting his love for the game, the time he has to prepare for each game and each format, his mindset going into each series and indeed each game, and his family time.”

“If all these factors are weighing heavily upon him, then he may need to make a choice to relinquish part of the captaincy.”

“If he chooses to do so, then he needs to know that he can feel comfortable in himself and in his role when not in control of a team on the field.”

Buchanan also highlighted the need for Kohli to understand his successor. “He needs to know that the person who takes over the captaincy is one with whom he is compatible both as a leader and the type of cricket Rohit Sharma (if it is to be him) wants to play.”

“If the two captains can work as one, albeit across different formats, and the support staff are geared to prepare both teams for each captain, then there is no reason why India’s performances cannot continue.”