Should Virat Kohli step down as India's ODI skipper after quitting T20I captaincy? John Buchanan opines

Virat Kohli's leadership credentials were questioned by many after Team India's disappointing campaign in the T20 World Cup 2021. The Indian team failed to make it to the semi-finals as the Men in Blue bowed out of the group stages after two defeats and three wins in their five games. While Kohli has already stepped down as the captain in T20Is, there have been reports stating that he might be asked to step down as the ODI captain as well.

Kohli had announced that he will be quitting the T20I captaincy ahead of the start of the T20 World Cup 2021 in the UAE. Rohit Sharma has been appointed as his successor in the shortest format and is reportedly in line to take over in ODIs as well. Former Australia head coach John Buchanan, who guided the Aussies to back-to-back ODI World Cup titles in 1999 and 2003, believes Kohli will be a leader in the side whether captaining or not.

In an exclusive interaction with WION, Buchanan, who oversaw the golden era of Australian cricket, helping them dominate world cricket for several years, said Kohli is an influential leader and has the right to decide if he wants to continue leading the Indian team in ODIs and Tests or not.

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"I think he is still in his province to make that call. He is a person who can play a significant leadership role whether he is captain or not. If he chooses to be the captain, I think he is a very influential captain and I do think that he is the only person that understands his career at the moment and the things that are going on in his life. And in what direction does he see the things going," Buchanan told WION in an exclusive interaction.

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Kohli has been one of India's consistent run-getter across formats and is the only batter in the world at present to average over 50 across all three formats of the game. While he is yet to win a major ICC trophy as captain, he has already surpassed MS Dhoni to become India's most successful skipper in Tests.

Buchanan believes Kohli would want to be leading the Indian team in both Tests and ODIs unless he has decided to step aside as a player from both formats.

"I think from his point of view, I don't think he is ready not to play ODIs and Tests and if he is to play both, he would like to be leading in both formats for the time being and make an assessment how he is handling all of it," said the two-time World Cup-winning coach.