'There's no pressure on him, seeing the workload it's good for him' - Madan Lal appreciates Virat Kohli captaincy decision

Former Indian all-rounder Madan Lal feels that skipper Virat Kohli did not take the decision of leaving T20I captaincy under any sort of pressure. Lal reckoned that the reason cited by Kohli is understandable, given he is an all-format player, and also leads in each format. Further, Kohli is also the in-charge of his Indian Premier League franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

“There was no such pressure on him and I appreciate his decision. Today cricketers are playing all three formats of the game and Kohli is also captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and seeing the workload he is currently at the peak of his career which is good for himself and the team,” Lal was quoted as saying by Times of India.

On being quested about Sachin Tendulkar quitting the captaincy under pressure, Madan Lal said: “Kohli has not quit the captaincy as he has built a team and taken Indian team to number one Test ranking team so it’s not about quitting. It’s all about workload and there is pressure on everyone and you have to deal with that.”

Notably, Kohli announced his decision to step down as the T20I skipper of the Indian team post the conclusion of the T20 World Cup, which is scheduled in the United Arab Emirates and Oman between October 17 to November 14.

“Understanding the workload is a very important thing and considering my immense workload over last 8-9 years playing all 3 formats and captaining regularly, I feel I need to give myself space to be fully ready to lead the Indian Team in test and ODI Cricket. I have everything to the team during my time as T20 Captain and I will continue to do so for the T20 Team as a batsman moving forward,” read his post.

“Of course, arriving at this decision took a lot of time. After a lot of contemplation and discussions with my close people. Ravi [Shastri] bhai and also Rohit [Sharma], who have been an essential part of the leadership group, I’ve decided to step down as the T20 Captain after this T20 World Cup in Dubai in October,” it added.

Meanwhile, Lal termed India lucky to have a player like Rohit Sharma ready to lead. “We are lucky we have another captain coming in and we are grooming them and captain also learns from grooming and Kohli has not left T20 and Rohit will benefit from the output Kohli gives him.”