Reports: BCCI want Virat Kohli to step down as ODI captain to concentrate on batting

India’s campaign in the T20 World Cup 2021 is done and dusted, and a new era is set to get underway. Virat Kohli won’t lead India in T20Is anymore and it would be interesting to see how this move affects the national team. For the unversed, Kohli, ahead of the tournament, had announced that he would step down as India’s T20I captain after the tournament.

While Kohli had mentioned that he would continue to lead in the other two formats, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) reportedly wants him to leave ODI captaincy as well. The Indian cricket board apparently wants the talismanic batter to shred off the captaincy burden and return to his vintage batting form in the upcoming assignments.

BCCI wants Virat Kohli to concentrate on batting

“The board wants to relieve Kohli of the captaincy burden in limited-overs cricket so that he can focus on his batting and return to his dominant form,” reported NDTV. “The changes in Team India’s ODI captaincy could be as soon as the bilateral series against South Africa, which begins from January 11, 2022. Rohit Sharma is expected to take over in the 50-over format too, with KL Rahul as his deputy,” claimed the sources further.

Notably, India will host New Zealand in three T20Is and a couple of Test matches in their upcoming assignments. While Kohli has been rested for the series, Rohit Sharma, India’s new T20I captain, will marshal the troop. Kohli would reportedly skip the first Test match as well and would return for the final game.

As Rohit would rest for the entire Test series, Ajinkya Rahane will lead the team in the first Test. Notably, Rahane has been short of runs in the longest format this year. Hence, it would be interesting to see how he tackles the Kiwi team in Kohli and Rohit’s absence.

Notably, Team India is set to tour South Africa for three Tests, as many ODIs and four T20Is after the New Zealand series. Hence, the board would need to take a call on ODI captaincy before this fixture. Rohit has done well in the leadership role whenever Virat was rested. Hence, the selectors might well consider him to take over as full-time skipper in white-ball cricket.