Virat Kohli thanks Ravi Shastri, Dhoni as he steps down; Fans point out Dravid's absence

Indian Test skipper Virat Kohli announced on Saturday that he will be hanging his boots as the Test captain of India, after leading the side for the last seven years. Kohli took to his official social media handle on Saturday evening and announced his decision after he failed to lead India to their first Test series victory in South Africa. India faced consecutive defeats in the final two matches of the series at Johannesburg and Cape Town respectively, after opening the series with a win at Centurion.

Meanwhile, announcing his decision Kohli also mentioned the former head coach Ravi Shastri in his statement. He thanked the former head coach for being the guiding force behind Team India in Test cricket. He also thanked Dhoni for believing in him and handing him the lead.

“To Ravi Bhai and the support group who were the engine behind this vehicle that moved us upwards in Test Cricket consistently, you all have played a massive role in bringing this vision to life. Lastly, a big thank you to MS Dhoni who believed in me as a Captain and found me to be an able individual who could take Indian Cricket forward,” Kohli said.

How did fans react to Virat Kohli mentioning Ravi Shastri?

Cricket fans on social media were enthralled on noticing Kohli’s kind words about Ravi Shastri as the duo were known to be close. Few fans mentioned that Kohli had everything intact for him till the time Shastri was with the team, and how he found himself hopeless after Shastri’s time with team India ended.

Among the many reactions, a fan mentioned in his tweet that Kohli mentioning Shastri and not Dravid in his statement also might be indicative of a rift. At the same time, another fan added that Kohli mentioned only Shastri and Dhoni on both posts announcing his decision to step down as India's Test skipper.

The skipper also thanked the Board of Control for Cricket in India for entrusting him with the leadership role of the team. “I want to thank the BCCI for giving me the opportunity to lead my country for such a long period of time and more importantly to all the teammates who bought into the vision I had for the team from day one and never gave up in any situation. You guys have made this journey so memorable and beautiful,” Kohli added.

Virat Kohli led India in a total of 68 Test matches and returned with 40 wins, which makes him the most successful skipper of India in Test matches.

(Image: PTI/AP)