Legendary swing bowler and former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram was surprised by Virat Kohli’s decision to give up T20I captaincy after the T20 World Cup.
Kohli had decided to give the T20I and IPL captaincy citing workload management in September. But, maintained that he would continue to lead India in the ODIs and Test cricket.
“Haan, I was a bit surprised when Virat Kohli announced he will quit T20I captaincy. I suppose, playing three formats in the present scenario can become a little difficult,” Akram said.
Speaking at the Salaam Cricket conclave 2021 in Dubai, Akram said giving up the captaincy will free Kohli and the Indian star will only become more dangerous in the shorter format.
“IPL is like a fourth format. You have as much pressure as you have international cricket in IPL. Franchise cricket involves more pressure because you need to be answerable. Owners might ask you why you lost and you have to have an explanation. You have to be in a position to explain because it’s their right, they are investing a lot of money. I think the time has come where Virat Kohli will enjoy T20s and I am telling you he will be a dangerous player even as a player after leaving captaincy. He will become more fearless,” the former Pakistan bowler added.
Meanwhile, batting legend and former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar believes Kohli’s decision to give up T20 captaincy will not affect Virat’s batting.
“No (his batting won’t be affected). He made the decision all by himself. I think it’s hard to tell someone like Virat to quit captaincy. I think he realized that he is willing to give someone else the opportunity to lead and just play his shots in T20s. When he comes to that mode, I don’t think anyone will be able to stop him,” Gavaskar said.
Gavaskar went on to add how the role of a captain gets affected keeping the interest of others in the mind.
“When you become the captain, you don’t just think about yourself. You think about everybody else in the team. You have to worry about other’s form and think about ways to help them,” the former Indian captain said.
