NEW DELHI, Sept 16, 2021 (BSS/AFP) - Star batsman Virat Kohli announced

Thursday that he will give up the India Twenty20 captaincy after the World
Cup that starts next month.

     "I feel I need to give myself space to be fully ready to lead the Indian
team in Test and ODI cricket," said Kohli, whose leadership has been the
subject of mounting speculation in recent months.

     "I've decided to step down as the T20 captain after this T20 World Cup
in Dubai in October," he added in a Twitter post.

     The 32-year-old, who became limited-overs captain after M.S. Dhoni
stepped aside in 2017, has faced pressure over his failure to win India
either the World Cup, Champions Trophy or T20 World Cup.

     But Jay Shah, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India
(BCCI), had backed Kohli this week to continue.

     "I have given everything to the team during my time as T20 captain and I
will continue to do so for the T20 team as a batsman moving forward," said
Kohli.

     "Of course, arriving at the decision took a lot of time," he explained,
adding that he had consulted with India coach Ravi Shastri and opening
batsman Rohit Sharma.

     He also said he had informed Shah, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and the
national selectors of his decision.

     Indian media have reported that Sharma could take over as limited-overs
captain and that the change had been discussed by the BCCI.

     Kohli is set to lead his Indian Premier League side Royal Challengers
Bangalore in the T20 tournament which resumes Sunday in the UAE after a four-
month pandemic suspension.