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When Aakash Chopra Predicted Indian Cricket's Downfall Post Virat Kohli Captaincy Era

image-lrxorv2iVirat Kohli (X.com)

Virat Kohli, widely regarded as one of the modern-day cricket legends, resigned from captaincy across all formats in 2022, citing workload issues. However, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra feared the worst and issued a bold prediction for the future in the Kohli-less era. 

Virat Kohli was subject to intense criticism after the 2019 World Cup failure, wherein India crashed out of the semi-finals after losing to New Zealand. Since then, critics have targeted Kohli's leadership skills left, right, and center. The lack of ICC trophies in the batter's cabinet invited unjust criticism as Kohli was made the scapegoat of the ICC trophy drought.

Moreover, the hectic schedule of international cricket was getting the better of Virat Kohli, and thus, the latter relinquished T20 format captaincy in 2021. Soon after, he was dropped as the ODI team captain since the BCCI wanted to appoint a singular leader for the white ball formats. 

BCCI's questionable behavior was the last straw as Virat Kohli quit Test captaincy just a day later and thus dropped the leadership baggage off his shoulders.

Amid the chaos, former Indian cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra made a bold prediction about the future of Indian cricket. He claimed that in a few years, Indian fans will miss Kohli as the captain of the senior team.

Chopra rated Kohli's leadership and tactical genius highly. He firmly believed that Virat's impact as a captain was much more significant than what fans may perceive.  But there will be a day wherein the people criticizing him now will want him back.

Undoubtedly, Virat Kohli's aggressive intent and intense energy on the field as a captain were unmatched. He brought a mindset change, which led to numerous memorable victories, especially in the Test format.

Regardless, just as all good things must come to an end, Virat Kohli has left an unparalleled legacy that will make him immortal in the history books of Indian cricket.