Picture Credit: ICC
As the ongoing T20 World Cup match between India and Namibia is ticking along, so is Virat Kohli's time as the captain of the T20I side. While he had already announced that he would step down as the leader of the T20I team before the start of the event, with India already eliminated from the semifinals race, the ongoing match is the last T20I game with Kohli at the helm.
For a long time, the name Kohli was synonymous with India captain, as he led the charge in all three formats of the game. However, as India have continued on the recent losing trend of ICC tournaments, some even felt that this was the right time for the transition.
The losses against Pakistan and New Zealand pushed India on the back foot and despite wins over Afghanistan and Scotland and being in a strong position against Namibia, the team's destiny did not remain in their own hands and consequently, the ongoing match in Dubai became a mere dead rubber.
Other than Virat, this is also the last match for a lot many members of the coaching staff including head coach Ravi Shastri. At the toss after opting to field first in this game, Kohli hinted that Rohit Sharma could be the leader for a few years of the limited-overs setup before the younger lot takes over.
And as the Kohli era in T20 cricket is coming to an end, Twitter has mixed reactions on the occasion.
Check out some of the tweets here:
Meanwhile, outgoing head coach Ravi Shastri reflected on his term as the team's head coach. He highlighted India's Test series wins in Australia, West Indies, Sri Lanka and the lead in England as the biggest highlights during his stint as well as the white ball wins in both home and away conditions.
"Sometimes in life, it's not about all you accomplish, it's about what you overcome. And what these guys have overcome in the last 5 years, the way they've performed in all corners of the world in all formats will make this one of the greatest teams in the history of the game," Shastri told Star Sports ahead of the match.
Former India captain Rahul Dravid has been named as the new India head coach.