'A big shout-out to Virat Kohli' - KL Rahul lauds India's outgoing T20I captain in a heartfelt post

Team India bowed out of the T20 World Cup 2021 edition, being held in the UAE, on Monday evening (November 9). The one-time winners failed to get going in their first two matches, versus Pakistan and New Zealand respectively, and paid a heavy price as they got eliminated in the Super 12 round despite many backing them to go the distance. While the Men in Blue did recover in style, with three back-to-back big wins, it was too late as New Zealand and Pakistan had sealed the two semi-final spots from Pool B by then.

India defeated Namibia by nine wickets, in pursuit of 133 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai, and signed off on a high. With India's exit, Virat Kohli's tenure as a T20I captain also came to an end as he had already announced that the showpiece event would be his last assignment as the captain in the shortest format. Kohli ended his stint as T20I captain by leading the Men in Blue in 50 matches, leading them to 32 wins and 16 losses. Post his end of tenure, opening batsman KL Rahul lauded the 33-year-old for his overall contributions courtesy a heartfelt post. 

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Rahul reflected on India's dismal campaign and thanked Kohli by tweeting, "Not the ideal World Cup for us, but we learn and grow. Grateful to all our fans for the love and support. Thank you to our coaches for helping us grow as cricketers. A big shout-out to @imVkohli for being a leader who led by example and for everything you have done for us."

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After India's resounding victory over Namibia, Kohli said at the post-match presentation, "It's been a honor but things need to be kept at the right perspective. I felt this was the right time to manage my workload. It's been six or seven years of heavy workload and there is a lot of pressure. The guys have been fantastic, I know we haven't got the results here but we have played some really good cricket. The guys have really made my work easier."

Post India's exit from the T20 WC, Rohit Sharma and Rahul have been named captain and vice-captain, respectively, for the national side's next T20I assignment where they will face New Zealand at home, from November 17. Rohit has officially taken over from Virat in the format whereas he will have Rahul as his deputy in his first series as full-time T20I skipper.

India’s T20I squad for New Zealand series

Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (Vice-Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj