On Claims Of Virat Kohli Stepping Down Himself From Test Captaincy, Ex Pakistan Star's Counter

The manner in which Virat Kohli's captaincy stint in the Indian team ended was truly regrettable. While the talismanic batter had himself decided to leave India's T20 captaincy, he was subsequently removed as the ODI skipper. Not long after, Kohli announced the decision to step down as the team's Test skipper too. Though the decision of leaving captaincy in the longest format came from Kohli himself, former Pakistan batter Salman Butt thinks that such a situation was gradually built and the star player didn't have any other option but to quit.

In a video on his YouTube channel, Butt gave his views on the Kohli captaincy saga in a Q&A session. He said that such things happen when the communication between the management and the player breaks down.

"Kohli was a successful captain, and the way he was being removed step by step... he himself gave it away. I've read many comments claiming that Kohli himself stepped down from captaincy and wasn't removed. Listen, brother... they (the board) created the build-up. Didn't he say in the press conference that there was no communication with me? You can watch the PC if you haven't," Butt said.

Butt maintains that Kohli's exit as India's Test skipper shouldn't have happened.

"It comes down to these things when the player knows it was done deliberately. The professional he is, and the captain that he was, I still don't think he should've been removed," he said.

After Kohli's exit as India's captain across three formats, Rohit Sharma was given the team's baton in T20Is, ODIs as well as Tests. However, the Hitman himself hasn't led the Indian team in the shortest format since the conclusion of the 2022 T20 World Cup.

Following India's World Test Championship final defeat to Australia,