Virat Kohli stepped down as India's Test captain on Saturday, a day after India's 1-2 loss in the three-match Test series against South Africa. "It's been 7 years of hard work, toil and relentless perseverance everyday to take the team in the right direction. I've done the job with absolute honesty and left nothing out there. Every thing has to come to a halt at some stage and for me as Test Captain of India, it's now," Kohli said in a statement posted on social media. The 33-year-old's tenure ends with 40 victories in 68 matches, which makes him the most successful Indian Test captain ever.
The prolific right-hander said he has always given his "120 percent" in everything he has done on the cricket field.
"There have been many ups and also some downs along the journey, but never has there been a lack of effort or lack of belief. I have always believed in giving my 120 percent in everything I do, and if I can't do that, I know it's not the right thing to do. I have absolute clarity in my heart and I cannot be dishonest to my team," Kohli said.
He thanked the BCCI and his teammates for supporting him throughout his journey as Indian captain.
"I want to thank 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 for the team from day one and never gave up in any situation," he said.
Notably, Virat Kohli was replaced as India's full-time white-ball captain by Rohit Sharma in December last year. He had stepped down from T20I captaincy at the end of India's ICC T20 World Cup campaign in November. Kohli was then removed as captain in ODIs by the selectors ahead of the start of the tour to South Africa.
Virat Kohli captained India to victory in every home series since taking charge, the last being in December 2021 against New Zealand. He won Test series in Sri Lanka, West Indies and twice in Australia. He holds a 2-1 lead over England in an away series; the last match was postponed due to a Covid outbreak and will be played later this year.
As captain, Kohli failed to win a series in South Africa in two attempts and has also lost a series each in England and New Zealand. He led the team to the final of the inaugural World Test Championship, which the team lost to New Zealand in a one-off match at Southampton last year.
Virat Kohli was appointed Test captain in 2015 when MS Dhoni stepped down in the middle of the series against Australia.