Virat Kohli Saturday stepped down from Test match captaincy.
“Everything has to come to a halt at some stage and for me as Test captain of India, it’s now. There have been many ups and also some downs along the journey but there has never been lack of effort or lack of belief,” Kohli wrote in a statement which he posted on Twitter.
He had asked his teammates and the support staff to keep the news to themselves.
Virat Kohli led India in 68 matches and has been the most successful captain with 40 wins.
He was appointed Test captain back in 2014 when MS Dhoni stepped down in the middle of the series against Australia.
The Indian cricket board, BCCI, thanked Kohli for his “admirable leadership qualities that took the test team to unprecedented heights”.
Kohli, 33, gave up the Twenty20 captaincy in September and he was replaced as One-Day International (ODI) skipper in December, with opener Rohit Sharma taking over in both formats.
One of the main highlights of his captaincy included India’s first Test series win in Australia in 2018-19.
He also led the country to the final of the first World Test Championship in England last year – where they lost to New Zealand.
His team also held a 2-1 lead in England last year before the final test in Manchester was postponed.
The announcement comes shortly after India were embroiled in an on-field controversy over an overturned decision during the third Test defeat to South Africa
Kohli and two teammates were caught on the stump microphone complaining after home captain Dean Elgar survived on review after being given out leg before wicket.
Kohli is part of the ODI team, led by Rahul in the absence of the injured Sharma, that will play three matches in South Africa starting January 19.
