Kohli surprised the cricket world by stepping down from Test captaincy after India’s 1-2 series loss to South Africa.
Muscat, Former England captain Kevin Pietersen believes that one of the reasons for Virat Kohli’s decision to step down as Test captain could be the harsh life of a bio-bubble and He advocated handing over the captaincy of all three formats to Rohit Sharma.
Kohli surprised the cricket world by stepping down from Test captaincy after India’s 1-2 series loss to South Africa. He stepped down from the captaincy of the T20 team after the World Cup last year and was later removed from the post of ODI captain. Meanwhile, his relationship with the Cricket Board of India (BCCI) also remained strained.
“Those who criticize today’s players, I think they are fools because it is very difficult to play in a bio bubble,” Pietersen told reporters here. He said, “It would be unfair to criticize, take a harsh attitude towards someone. You have not seen Virat Kohli. Kohli needs an audience. He performs well in such an environment.”
read also
“My personal opinion is that it is difficult for a player like him to perform to the best of his abilities in this bio bubble,” Pietersen said. Pietersen is not surprised by Kohli giving up the captaincy of all formats. “Many players have suffered. It’s (playing) the best job in the world, but when you play in a bio bubble, it’s definitely not the best job because there’s no joy in it.”
“I’m not really surprised that Virat wants a little bit of that extra pressure because playing in a bio bubble is very difficult,” Pietersen said. The former England captain also said that Rohit Sharma should be given the command of India in all three formats. KL Rahul is captaining the current ODI series against South Africa due to Rohit’s injury.
He said, “I like Hitman Rohit Sharma. He is an excellent player. I always enjoy his batting. Mumbai Indians have performed very well under his captaincy, so he is at the forefront of the captaincy race.” (agency)