Paarl: India’s vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah on Monday revealed that Virat Kohli had already informed the team about his decision to step down as captain in a meeting after the Cape Town Test in the ODI series against South Africa. Bumrah said, “We have been very close to him as a team. He told us in a meeting that he would step down from the Test captaincy. He informed us about it as a team. We respect his decision and his decision.” We attach great importance to leadership.”
“We congratulated him for his contribution to Tests as a team and wished him all the best for the future. That’s what happened with him,” Bumrah said in the virtual press conference.
Bumrah further said that former captain Kohli will always be the leader in the group.
His remarks came after Kohli announced on Saturday that he would step down from the Test captaincy with immediate effect. The upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa, starting in Paarl on Wednesday, will be his first white-ball series as a player.
He said, “Look, I am not here to take any decision about him. But yes, personally we respect his decision. He knows what mental state he is in. We respect that and I respect him. It was a great pleasure to play under him as I made my Test debut under him.”
He continued, “As I have said before he brings a lot of energy to the team. He will always be a leader in the group and his contribution has been huge and is going to be huge going forward.”
first published:Jan. 17, 2022, 8:32 p.m.
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