“I’ve done the job with absolute honesty and left nothing out there,” Kohli said. “Every thing has to come to a halt at some stage and for me as Test Captain of India, it’s now.”
The 33-year-old — who first deputized for then-Test captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni in 2014 and later began his official tenure as Test captain in June 2015 in Bangladesh — has led India in a total of 68 test match series, with 40 wins and 17 losses.
“I have always believed in giving my 120 percent in everything I do, and if I can’t do that, I know it’s not the right thing to do,” Kohli said. “I have absolute clarity in my heart and I cannot be dishonest to my team.”
Kohli, who is regarded as one of the greatest cricketers of all time, previously served as India’s captain in both Twenty20 (T20) and One-Day International (ODI) matches.
The following month, he was then removed as India’s ODI captain by the team’s selection committee and replaced by Rohit Sharma, who also took on India’s T20 captaincy.
Kohli will continue to play for India as a batsman, with a series of ODI matches against South Africa scheduled for next week.
