Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt believes that Virat Kohli wouldn’t get along with the newly appointed Indian coaching set-up hence he decided to step away. Butt still believes that he has a lot to offer as a player and can play for 5 years more.
On Friday, Virat Kohli dropped a bombshell as he released a note on social media that he decided to step down the Test captaincy. The decision came after one day of India’s defeat against South Africa as the hosts beat India by 7 wickets to wrap the series by 1-0. Kohli captained India in 68 Test matches with 40 wins and 17 defeats. He had been leading India in the longest format since January 2015.
“Reading Kohli’s note on Twitter, I got a vibe that he’s had enough”-Salman Butt
Speaking about his decision, former Pakistan captain Salman Butt expressed his opinion over his decision. Butt opined that Kohli might have felt that he had enough.
“After reading his note on Twitter, I got a vibe that he’s had enough. And this is not the age where a player goes, “okay, I am done. Someone else please take over”. He still has 5 years on him and it’s not like he’s quitting cricket altogether,” Butt spoke on his YouTube channel.
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) January 15, 2022
“I am getting a feeling that not everything is smooth within the set-up. One of the other reasons could be the absence of like-mindedness. There was organizational set-up, wherein Ravi Shastri was present and his crew that worked with Kohli like a machine. (Now that they have left), I feel there is an issue with compatibility also and when that happens, everything else starts mattering,” he added.
After the T20 World Cup which was held in October-November, Indian coaching set-up Ravi Shastri & Co. decided to step away, citing the reason bio bubble fatigue. Since then, Rahul Dravid has taken over the job as India head coach. Earlier in the 3-match T20I series against New Zealand, Virat Kohli opted out for rest.
He also missed the first test against the Kiwis. Then he joined the team in Mumbai for the second test as India beat them comprehensively to wrap up the series.
Also read Virat Kohli’s Decision To Quit Test Captaincy Welcomed By Kapil Dev