His decision is personal, BCCI respects it: Ganguly

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has lauded Virat Kohli for taking the team forward in all forms of cricket during his stint as India skipper but said his decision to quit Test captaincy was a personal one.

Kohli on Saturday ended his seven-year reign as India’s most successful Test captain, a day after an unexpected 1-2 series loss against South Africa.

Under Kohli, India won 40 out of 68 Tests with memorable series wins in England and Australia being the highlight.

”Under Virat’s leadership Indian cricket has made rapid strides in all formats of the game ..his decision is a personal one and bcci respects it immensely ..he will be an important member to take this team to newer heights in the future. A great player. well done .. @BCCI @imVkohli,” Ganguly tweeted.

While Kohli is India’s most successful Test skipper, MS Dhoni is second in the list with 27 victories in 60 games and Ganguly comes third with 21 wins.

Kohli also ranks fourth in the list of most victories as Test captain behind South Africa’s Graeme Smith (53) and Australian duo of Ricky Ponting (48) and Steve Waugh (41).

Kohli, who was given the reins of the Test side back in 2014 when Dhoni stepped down in the middle of the series against Australia, made the announcement in the backdrop of his tense relations with the BCCI which removed him as ODI captain after the star batter himself decided to leave T20 captaincy.

A massive controversy had erupted when BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and chief selector contradicted Kohli’s claims that that he was not asked to stay back as T20 captain.