Former Pak spinner feels T20I retirement on cards for Virat Kohli, says 'two groups exist in Team India'
Former Pak spinner feels Virat Kohli will retire soon from T20Is, says 'two groups within Team India'
Team India bowed out of the T20 World Cup 2021 edition, being held in the UAE, in the Super 12 round after failing to win their first two encounters. Despite a late surge, with three back-to-back wins, Virat Kohli-led India gave fans something to cheer for but they were shown the exit door prior to their last league stage encounter, versus Namibia.
After India's end of the road in the T20 WC, Kohli has officially stepped down as the national side's captain in the shortest format. For the unversed, the 33-year-old had already announced, in mid-September, that he won't lead the side in the T20Is post the World Cup. With Rohit Sharma set to take over, along with new head coach Rahul Dravid who will succeed Ravi Shastri, the Men in Blue will like to enter into a new era and move past their missed opportunities in the T20 WC.
However, former Pakistan spinner Mushtaq Ahmed feels there is more to what meets the eyes with regard Kohli stepping aside as T20I captain. He feels an early retirement is also on cards for Kohli from the shortest format. Nonetheless, he made heads turn by claiming that there are two groups within Team India at the moment.
"When a successful captain says he wants to leave the captaincy, it means all is not well in the dressing room. I see two groups existing in the Indian dressing room right now… the Mumbai and Delhi groups," Mushtaq, who is presently working at the PCB's high-performance centre, said on the Geo News channel.
"I think Kohli will soon retire from playing T20 internationals for his country although he will continue in the Indian Premier League. I think he has had his fill of this format," Mushtaq further asserted.
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On India's dismal campaign in the T20 WC, he opined, "I think India flopped in the World Cup because of the IPL. I think their players after remaining for so long in a bio-secure bubble before the World Cup were jaded and tired."
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Post the T20 WC, India will now host New Zealand in three T20Is and two Tests at home, starting from November 17. While Rohit will officially take over as India's T20I captain from Kohli, Dravid will also look to guide the team to ICC titles as the national side moves ahead from the Shastri-era.