‘You dont need to be a captain to be a leader’ – Virat Kohli determined to contribute towards team success in post-captaincy tenure

Within a span of a few months, Virat Kohli has become just another batter in the Indian team from an all-format captain. While several fans and experts wanted Rohit Sharma to take the reins of the white-ball team, Kohli’s resignation as Test skipper was nothing short of a bombshell. A day after India’s 1-2 defeat against South Africa, Kohli made the major announcement, bringing curtains to an illustrious era in Indian cricket.

As BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and Kohli made contrasting statements in public, many believe the 33-year-old took the decision due to fallout with the board. Many also reckon Kohli would find it difficult to play under someone. However, the right-handed batter is crystal clear about his decision. Speaking of his major call, Kohli said he’s determined to give his maximum contribution to the team.

You need to have complete understanding of yourself: Virat Kohli.

“First of all, you need to have complete understanding of what you planned to do and whether you have achieved those targets or not. People might say “what this guy has done” but you need to understand when you think of moving forward and achieving more, you feel like you have done your job. Now, as a batter, you feel like you have more things to contribute and you can make the team win more,” Kohli said in a conversation with Kamlesh Goyal.

Citing former Indian skipper MS Dhoni’s example, Kohli also said a leader doesn’t really require the captaincy tag. “You don’t need to be a captain to be a leader, it’s as simple as that – when MS Dhoni was in the team, it doesn’t mean he wasn’t a leader – he was the guy we were constantly have the inputs,” he added.

Meanwhile, Kohli finished as India’s most successful Test captain with 40 wins in 68 games. After stepping down as skipper, the veteran batter played under KL Rahul in South Africa ODIs earlier this month. Although India suffered a 0-3 defeat, Kohli smashed two brilliant half-centuries. He’ll next be seen in the white-ball series against West Indies, which gets underway on February 6. Three ODIs will be followed by as many ODIs in the series.