'If you win, they ask about runs': Virat Kohli reveals 'gruesome' reason behind quitting India captaincy
India great Virat Kohli has opened up on the mental and physical toll of captaining the national side, saying he was "completely spent" by the time he stepped down from leadership roles between 2021 and 2022. Kohli, who remains India’s most successful Test captain with 40 wins in 68 matches, led the side to major overseas Test victories and regular knockout appearances in ICC white-ball tournaments, including the 2017 Champions Trophy final and the 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final. However, the former India skipper said the demands of being both the batting mainstay and captain eventually drained him.
"I ended up being in a place where I became the focal point of our batting unit. And then I became the focal point of leadership. I didn’t realise how much of a load both those things will present in my daily life, to be honest.
But because I was so driven and motivated to just make sure that Indian cricket stays on top, I didn’t really pay attention to it. And that’s precisely why by the time I left captaincy, I was completely spent. Like there was nothing left in the tank to give.
And I was completely consumed by it. So, yes, it was gruesome," Kohli said. Kohli also spoke about the constant pressure of balancing personal form with team results during his captaincy stint.
"It was difficult to manage expectations of, okay, if you win, you don’t score runs, then, you’re asked about your performances. And if you perform and you don’t win, you’re asked about the results. So I was always juggling between the two and trying to manage as best as I could," Kohli said at the third edition of the RCB Innovation Lab’s Indian Sports Summit on Tuesday.