Sunil Gavaskar has reacted to Virat Kohli’s decision to step down as Test captain.© AFP
Just a day after India’s loss to South Africa in the three-match Test series, Team India skipper Virat Kohli on Saturday announced his decision to step down as the captain of the Test team. Reacting to Kohli’s decision to step down as Test captain, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar said he was “not surprised at all”. Earlier, the 33-year-old had replaced the 33-year-old as Team India’s white-ball captain while naming the squad for the current tour of South Africa.
“I’m not surprised at all. But I thought it would have come at the presentation ceremony. But, maybe, it would seem that it came out of a sense of rage of losing the series. So, I think there is a slight difference. And the verdict has come.” Gavaskar said during a discussion on India Today.
Gavaskar also highlighted the fact that series defeats abroad are “not taken very kindly” by board officials in India.
“As a captain, I have experienced that series defeats overseas are not taken very kindly by board officials and cricket-loving public. The captain is in danger of being sacked. Sure it could have happened this time as it was a series in which India were expected to go on and win easily. So, the captain is where the buck stops.”
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Asked whether Kohli had relinquished the Test captaincy before it slipped out of his grasp, Gavaskar said: “It’s quite likely, considering what happened earlier.”
After the conclusion of the Test series, the focus now turns to the three-match ODI series against the Proteas, starting with the first game at Paarl from January 19.
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