“Came as a shock”: Irfan Pathan responds to Virat Kohli stepping down from T20I captaincy after T20 World Cup 2021

Dixit Bhargav | 16/09/2021
"Came as a shock": Irfan Pathan responds to Virat Kohli stepping down from T20I captaincy after T20 World Cup 2021

Irfan Pathan responds to Virat Kohli stepping down: The former Indian all-rounder hoped for India to carry Virat Kohli’s legacy forward.

The upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2021 will be the last time when India captain Virat Kohli will be leading in the shortest format at the highest level.

It was just over a couple of hours ago that Kohli took to his social media handles to announce that he will be stepping down as T20I captain after the world event in the UAE in October-November.

Kohli, who has led India in half of his T20I career (45 out of 90 T20Is), will have a last shot at T20I captaincy in what will be his first-ever multi-team ICC tournament as a captain in T20Is.

Irfan Pathan responds to Virat Kohli stepping down from T20I captaincy

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan was among the many former cricketers who reacted to the development. Pathan took to his Twitter account to express “shock” at Kohli’s decision to step down.

“Surely it came as a shock to hear @imVkohli stepping down from the T20 captaincy after the World Cup,” Pathan tweeted.

ALSO READ: Irfan Pathan supports R Ashwin’s T20I comeback for T20 World Cup 2021

Pathan, who had played eight T20Is (including his last international match) alongside Kohli in 2012, hoped for India to lift their second ICC T20 World Cup title as a “tribute” to Kohli’s captaincy.

India will begin their 2021 T20 World Cup campaign by locking horns against arch-rivals Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on October 24.

Post Edited By: Dixit Bhargav
ICC T20 World Cup 2021 India Irfan Pathan Virat Kohli

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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