We respect Virat Kohli’s decision to step down as Test captain, says Rajeev Shukla

'His contribution to Indian cricket has been immense,' says BCCI Vice President

By ANI

Published: Sat 15 Jan 2022, 8:14 PM

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Vice President Rajeev Shukla on Saturday said that Virat Kohli had made immense contributions as the captain of Indian Test team and the board respects his decision of stepping down from the captaincy.

Shukla’s remarks came as Kohli stepped down as India’s Test captain after leading the side for seven years.

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“We respect Virat Kohli’s decision. His contribution to Indian cricket has been immense and as a Test captain, he got us a maximum no of victories. I hope and think that he will continue to contribute as a player to Team India and Indian cricket,” Shukla told ANI.

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Kohli’s decision to leave Test captaincy came a day after India lost the three-match Test series against South Africa on Friday. The 33-year-old’s biggest win in the longest format came during 2018-19 as India won its first Test series Down Under. Under his captaincy, India also reached the finals of the World Test Championship (WTC).

Kohli holds the record for most Test appearances as India Test captain (68) and he also holds the record for most Test wins by an Indian captain (40). Only Graeme Smith, Ricky Ponting, and Steve Waugh have won more matches than Kohli as captain in Test cricket.

Kohli had first led the side in Test cricket in 2014 against Australia. His last game as captain was the Cape Town Test in South Africa, which India lost by seven wickets.

The leadership also brought out the best in Kohli and it saw the batter registering seven double-centuries in the longest format of the game. Kohli also holds the record for scoring most Test centuries (20) as India captain. (ANI)