'Nothing to be shocked' - Virat Kohli breaks silence on quitting RCB captaincy

It came as a shock and heartbreak for many Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) fans after Indian stalwart Virat Kohli decided to step down as skipper for the franchise in 2021 September. The right-handed batter has now opened up on his decision.

While announcing his decision, the batter said that he took the call to manage workload and give himself some space. The 33-year old batter made the choice right after he announced that the 2021 T20 World Cup will be his last assignment as Indian captain in the shortest format.  Later on, he was removed as ODI captain as well, before quitting the leadership role in the longest format of the game.

It is very difficult for people to understand what a cricketer thinks: Virat Kohli

Speaking on ‘The RCB Podcast’ Kohli said, “I’m not someone who holds onto things more than I should. Even if I know I can do a lot more, if I’m not going to enjoy the process, I’m not going to do it.”

“There’s nothing to be shocked about. I explain to people, I wanted some space and I wanted to manage my workload and the story ends there. Because it’s very difficult for people to understand your decisions unless they are in your situation. From the outside, people have their own expectations ‘Oh! How did that happen? We are so shocked’,” added Kohli.

Clearing the air and declining all the theories, Kohli said that he keeps his life very basic and simple. He said, “There was actually nothing at all. when I wanted to make a decision, I made a decision and I announced it.”

Indian run machine, who has piled up 6,283 runs in 207 matches he has played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) so far has emphasized the fact that quality is more important than quantity.  “Over a period of time, you want to do what you’re doing day-in-and-day-out and you want to do as much as you can, but at the end of the day, you have to realize that quality is far more important than quantity,” stressed Kohli.