Virat Kohli May Step Down From Captaincy if India Lose 2nd Test: Ex English Spinner Monty Panesar

Kohli has now lost his last four Tests as captain - the most he has lost in succession.

India captain Virat Kohli returned to the side after his paternity leave but his comeback was not the best as the hosts were thrashed by England in the first Test at Chennai by 227 runs on Tuesday. Former English spinner Monty Panesar made a bold statement on Kohli as the India skipper faced backlash from all quarters after the embarrassing loss. Labelling Kohli as one of the greatest, Panesar reckoned he could step down as captain if India loses the second Test.

In an exclusive with WION, Panesar said: “”Virat Kohli is one of the greatest batsmen of all-time. But the team is simply not doing well under him and we have the result in the last four Tests that India played under him. I think Kohli will be under pressure and more now because Rahane has done phenomenally well as the captain. India have already lost four Tests in a row and if the number goes to five in the next match, then I think he will step down from his role.”

Kohli has now lost his last four Tests as captain – the most he has lost in succession. In the seven Tests before that, he had won seven in a row, the longest such sequence for an Indian captain. In Australia, he led the side in the first Test at Adelaide – which India lost.

Last year, the premier batsman of India did not manage to hit a single century across formats – which was surprising as well.

While backing Ajinkya Rahane despite his failure, Kohli praised Ravichandran Ashwin for his effort with the ball and credited England for being deserving winners.

It would be interesting to see if India make changes ahead of the second Test or not. The second Test starts on February 13 in Chennai.