Star Indian batter Virat Kohli recently opened up about the emotional and mental toll that led to his decision to step down from captaincy. Kohli reflected on why he gave up leadership roles for both Team India and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
The right-hand batter’s stint as a leader began in 2013 when he became captain of RCB and later took over India’s Test captaincy in 2014, eventually becoming the all-format captain by 2017. Kohli set new standards in fitness and performance during his time.
However, after India’s disappointing exit from the 2021 T20 World Cup, the 36-year-old announced he would step down as T20I captain. Soon after, he gave up RCB’s leadership and then, in early 2022, also stepped down from the Test captaincy following a series loss to South Africa. He mentioned about the toll captaincy was taking on his mental well-being.
“At one point, it did become tough for me because there was just too much happening in my career. I was captaining India for a period of 7-8 years. I captained RCB for nine years. There were expectations of me from a batting perspective every game that I played. I didn’t have this sense that the attention was off me. If it wasn’t captaincy, it would be batting. I was exposed to it 24×7. It did get very tough on me, and it did get too much in the end. That’s why I stepped down because I felt like if I’ve decided I want to be in this place, I need to be happy,” he said in an RCB Bold Diaries podcast.
I need to have a space in my life: Kohli
In 2022, Kohli took a month-long break from cricket, during which he did not even touch his bat. After giving up the captaincy, Rohit Sharma took up the role and has so far guided India to the T20 World Cup 2024 and Champions Trophy 2025 victories.
“I need to have a space in my life where I can just come and play my cricket without being judged, without being looked at as what are you going to do this season and what’s going to happen now,” added Kohli.
