Day after announcing his decision to step down as the captain of T20I format, the cricketer gave everyone a shock and said he will also be stepping down as the captain for Royal Challengers Bangalore The franchise had announced on Sunday (September 19) that Virat had decided to step down from his role as captain after the completion of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. "It has been a great and inspiring journey, captaining a talented bunch of players in the RCB squad. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the RCB management, coaches, support staff, players, and the entire RCB family, who have been instrumental in the growth of the franchise over the years," Kohli had said in a statement issued by RCB.
Now, in an emotional video, Virat has explained his decision. Here's what Kohli said in an emotional video, which was shared on social media by RCB. "Hello everyone! To the whole RCB family. The fans, the amazing fans of Bangalore and everyone who has been a supporter of RCB for so many years. I had an announcement to make. Just spoken to the squad this evening. Before the second leg of the tournament starts, to inform everyone that this is going to be my last leg in the IPL as captain of RCB. I spoke to the management this evening. It was something that was on my mind for a while. As I recently announced, stepping down from the T20I captaincy as well. My workload, which has been immense for the last so many years. I want to be able to be committed to the responsibilities that I am fulfilling, and I felt that I needed the space to refresh, to regroup and to be absolutely clear in how I want to move forward."
Virat Kohli to step down from RCB captaincy after #IPL2021
“This will be my last IPL as captain of RCB. I’ll continue to be an RCB player till I play my last IPL game. I thank all the RCB fans for believing in me and supporting me.”: Virat Kohli#PlayBold #WeAreChallengers pic.twitter.com/QSIdCT8QQM
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) September 19, 2021
"And also understanding that RCB is going to go through a big transitional phase. There is a big auction coming up next year. I have made it clear to the management that I can't think of being in any other team than RCB and that has been my commitment from day one. I will continue to be an RCB player till I play my last game in the IPL. It has been a great journey of 9 years, of joy and frustration, of moments of happiness and sadness. I just want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for supporting me and believing in me relentlessly and unconditionally. I will continue to be committed to play for this franchise as I said till the last day of me playing IPL. For you guys, for the fans, because of what you have done for me and how you have made me feel for the last so many years, that is going to stay with me for the rest of my life. Thank you so much! this is just a little halt and not the end of the journey. The journey will continue, and it will continue the same way that it has for so many years," Virat ended the video.
Soon after, the video went viral and Twitter started trending, #IndiasPrideViratKohli to show their support to the man who has brought so much to the field of cricket.
(Source: Twitter)
