Ricky Ponting Reveals Why He Was "Shocked" When Virat Kohli Quit Test Captaincy

Ricky Ponting has been one of the best leaders in history of cricket. The stylish right-hander was at the helm of one of the most dominant teams to have ever played the game, winning everything that was on offer. So, when Ponting speaks about captaincy most people sit up and listen. In an exclusive with icc-cricket.com, the former Australian skipper spoke about Virat Kohli's time as India captain and the impact he had on Indian cricket as a leader. The Australian also expressed his shock over Virat Kohli's sudden decision to step down as Test captain following the series defeat in South Africa.

Ponting said that he was "really surprised" by Kohli's decision to walk away from Test captaincy, given the conversation he had with the Indian star during first part of IPL 2021 -- before it was postponed.

"Yes, it did actually (surprise me)," Ponting was quoted as saying on icc-cricket.com.

"Probably the main reason why is I had a chat and good catch-up with Virat during the first part of the IPL (2021) before it got postponed.

"He was talking then about stepping away (from captaincy) from white-ball cricket and how passionate he was to continue on to be Test match captain. He just loved and cherished that job and that post so much. Obviously, the Indian Test team had achieved a lot under his leadership. When I heard it, I was really, really surprised."

"I was shocked, but then I started thinking about other things, even my own time as captain. I have gone on record and said that I probably think I played a couple of years longer than I should have in hindsight. I think I might have been captain for a couple of years longer than I should have," the former Aussie skipper added.

The Australian also said that India "probably" is