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Xtra Time Web Desk: Virat Kohli's decision to quit India's T20 captaincy after next month's T20 World Cup might come as a shock for the fans but not for the insiders in the Indian cricket board. The development seems to be a sign of things to come in the ODI set-up. While Kohli has maintained that he would remain captain in the other two formats, one can't say with absolute certainty that he will be India's 50-over skipper going into the 2023 World Cup at home.

While workload management is an absolutely acceptable reason for quitting T20 captaincy but if one looks at India's calendar till 2023, there are just about 20 bilateral T20 games apart from the World Cup in which Kohli won't be captain.

"Virat knew that he would have been removed from white ball captaincy. If the team doesn't do well at the UAE World T20, he was gone for good as far as white ball leadership is concerned," a BCCI insider, in the know of things, told PTI.

So, if the BCCI decides on relieving Kohli from the 50-over captaincy as well in near future, one shouldn't be surprised as this is Indian cricket and fortunes change faster than what anyone can keep up with. A trophy-less T20 World Cup and Kohli might just have to play as a pure batsman in the 50-over format also.

According to the media release sent by BCCI, both President Sourav Ganguly and Secretary Jay Shah have congratulated but not a single word was mentioned if he would remain the captain till 2023 ODI World Cup. So, Virat Kohli would remain captain till 2023 World Cup, is a far-fetched conclusion.

The report also says that Kohli has not exactly enjoyed the full support of the dressing room. His style of functioning, according to those who have watched him closely, borders on autocracy with very little room for inclusiveness.

Be it playing two spinners in the World Test Championship final at Southampton or not letting any player settle down in the No.4 position before the 2019 World Cup, his lack of flexibility has often been talked about in hushed tones. More recently, in the Test series against England, the decision to bench world's No.1 off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin did stick out like a sore thumb even though India led 2-1.

The report also suggested that Kohli has not handled the junior players well especially when their chips are down.

It is also being said that Kohli went to the selection committee with a proposal that Rohit be removed from the ODI vice-captaincy as he is 34. He wanted the ODI vice-captaincy to be handed to K L Rahul with Rishabh Pant performing the role in the T20 format.

Obviously, the gesture didn’t go down well with the Board members.

With Inputs from PTI