Virat Kohli resigns as Test captain of India; Here's complete timeline of events so far

The cricket world faced the shocking development of Virat Kohli stepping down as the Indian captain in the Test format on Saturday, a day after India lost 2-1 against South Africa in the three-match Test series. The circumstances that led to Kohli announcing his decision to step down have been described by the cricket enthusiasts as unfortunate, while the skipper finds himself in a bad light because of the events that occurred in the last two months in Indian cricket. From Kohli announcing his decision to step down from captaincy in T20 format to getting sacked as the ODI skipper to calling his time as the Test skipper, here’s the complete timeline of events and developments leading to the former Indian skipper resigning as the Test captain of India.

November 8- India exited the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 in UAE after failing to qualify for the semi-final of the tournament. The T20 World Cup was the last assignment for Kohli as the limited-overs skipper of India, as he earlier announced in September that he will quit the leadership role in T20Is in order to focus on the longer formats of the game. 

November 17- Following the T20 World Cup, India played its first bilateral series under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma and newly appointed head coach Rahul Dravid against New Zealand at home. Kohli was rested for the T20I series and the first Test match of the two-match series, before leading India to a victory in the second Test. The Test series against the Kiwis that ended on December 5, would ultimately become Kohli’s final Test assignment as India’s skipper in India.

December 8- Following the announcement of the Indian squad for the Test series against South Africa, BCCI also announced that Rohit Sharma has been appointed as the new ODI skipper of the national team. This development came as a surprise for many as Kohli earlier said that he would like to continue leading the side in the longer formats of the game.

December 9-12 - BCCI faced heavy criticism for removing Kohli from captaincy in the ODI format as Kohli’s captaincy stats suggested Kohli was a phenomenal leader in the format. Speaking to ANI about removing Kohli from the captaincy role in the ODI format, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly made a bold claim by saying Kohli was advised not to quit captaincy in T20 format. “It's a call that the BCCI and the selectors took together. Actually, the BCCI had requested Virat to not step down as the T20I skipper but obviously, he did not agree. And the selectors then did not feel it right to have two different captains for two white-ball formats,” Ganguly said.

December 13- Virat Kohli spoke to the media personnel through a virtual press conference before India left for its tour of South Africa. The Test skipper made many interesting revelations during the press conference and also refuted the claims made by Sourav Ganguly. Kohli said that he was never asked to not leave captaincy in T20Is and instead it was received well. Kohli’s explosive presser also witnessed the Test skipper revealing he had no prior communication with BCCI regarding the change on a captaincy role in ODIs, prior to the decision being conveyed to him.

December 18- Two days after Team India led by Virat Kohli arrived in South Africa, Sourav Ganguly spoke to ANI and denied to say anything on the topic. “Let’s not take this further, I have nothing to say," Sourav Ganguly told reporters. On being asked whether Kohli would face any action on his return to India, Ganguly further added, “I have nothing to say. It is the matter of the BCCI and they will only deal with it”.

December 30- Team India earned its final victory in Test cricket under the captaincy of Virat Kohli after defeating South Africa by 113 runs in the first Test of the series at Centurion. 

December 31- Announcing India’s ODI squad for the upcoming three-ODI series against South Africa,  Chairman of the selection committee of the Indian cricket team, Chetan Sharma opened up Kohli’s axing as the limited-overs skipper. Speaking at a virtual press conference, Chetan Sharma said, “ Quitting T20 captaincy was Virat Kohli's decision. Changing ODI captaincy was selectors' decision”.  He further revealed that when Kohli informed the selectors about T20 captaincy, he was told it would be discussed after the World Cup, however, Kohli decided to quit even before the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

January 11-14- After missing the Johannesburg Test due to back spasms, Kohli joined the squad for the final Test against the Proteas at Cape Town. The match sparked a controversy as the Indian players along with the skipper Kohli were criticizing the third umpire's decision on the stump mic. While the cricket fraternity slammed Kohli for the team’s childish behavior, South Africa won the series 2-1 and denied Kohli to lead the team into their first series victory in South Africa.

January 15- Virat Kohli took to his official social media handles on Saturday evening and announced his decision to hang his boots as the Test skipper of India. BCCI responded to the announcement by Kohli and said, “Courage, Passion, Grit & Determination! Thank you, @imVkohli!” Kohli quit the captaincy in Test cricket after leading India for seven years in a total of 68 Test matches and returned with 40 wins, 17 losses, and a win percentage of 58.82.

(Image: AP)