As per reports, Virat Kohli turned down a chance of playing his 100th farewell Test match as skipper of the team, in Bengaluru next month.
Virat Kohli dropped a big bombshell recently when he announced his decision to step down as the skipper of India's Test team. His call came one day after India succumbed to a 2-1 Test defeat at the hands of South Africa. However, as per latest reports, the manner of those events could have been very different, and Kohli could have stepped down amid much fanfare but he chose not to take it.
If Virat Kohli wanted, he could have had a farewell Test match before stepping down as the skipper, next month in Bengaluru. He could have opted to bow out as skipper of the Indian team, in the 100th Test match of his career. A senior BCCI official offered Kohli a chance of having a gala as well however, the 33-year-old decided to turn it down.
Sri Lanka will tour India in February and will play the 1st Test against India in Bengaluru at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in the city, which coincidentally, is the home of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Kohli however, had other ideas.
As per the reports, when he informed the BCCI officials of his decision to step down as the skipper on a phone call, he received an offer to do so amid fanfare, however, the Delhi-born batsman allegedly said, "One match makes no difference. That’s not how I am."
The reports further stated that Kohli first informed about his decision to head coach Rahul Dravid, later to his teammates, and lastly to BCCI. While the board was more than happy to let him continue for a couple more series, Kohli wanted to focus on his batting, as he wanted to be relieved of the pressures that come along with the duties of a captain.
"I have always believed in giving my 120 per cent in everything I do, and if I can’t do that, I know it’s not the right thing to do. I have absolute clarity in my heart and I cannot be dishonest to my team," Kohli wrote in his note on Saturday, while announcing his decision.
In just three months, he gave up the captaincy of Team India in two formats and was stripped of it, in the remaining one.
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