‘Not surprised that he wants a break’ – Kevin Pietersen on Virat Kohli’s decision to quit Test captaincy

By stepping down as India’s captain in the longest format of the game recently, Virat Kohli took the world by storm. Not only his fans, but several cricket experts and cricketers were shocked with his decision as well. However, during his stint as India’s Test skipper, he won 40 games, the most for any Indian Test captain.

Several former cricketers gave their opinion on Kohli’s decision, and Kevin Pietersen happens to be the latest to join the list. The English legend wasn’t surprised with the Delhi batter quitting the Test captaincy. He felt that Kohli needed a little break from the added pressure.

“I’m actually not surprised that Virat wants just a little bit of a break from that extra pressure because it’s damn difficult playing in these bubbles,” said Kevin Pietersen, as quoted by Hindustan Times. He then went on to say that the pressure is the same for all sportsmen. Pietersen then drew light on the energy of players.

“It’s very difficult to judge all International sportsmen, be it premier league footballers or any sportsman around the world, playing in a pandemic. As a batter, I feed on the energy of players, and there are a lot of these players, be it in football, rugby or tennis,” he said.

The 41-year-old also felt that the bio-bubble fatigue played a role in Kohli’s decision. He cited the fact that it is hard to play without crowds.

“It will be very unfair to be too harsh, to be critical. Because you have not looked at Virat Kohli. Kohli needs crowds, he gets going (from it), he is an entertainer. I think it’s very difficult for his personality to perform to the best of his (Kohli’s) abilities (in the bubble),” Pietersen added.