Former Pakistan spinner Mushtaq Ahmed claims issues are existing in the current Indian team, which prompted Kohli to step down as the T20I captain. The 33-year-old announced that he will be stepping down as India's T20I captain following the T20 World Cup, but Mushtaq is confident there is more to the decision than what meets the eye.
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What Mushtaq Ahmed said to the news channel ?
"When a successful captain says he wants to leave the captaincy, it means all is not well in the dressing room. I see two groups existing in the Indian dressing room right now… the Mumbai and Delhi groups,"
Mushtaq, who is presently working at the PCB's high-performance center, said on the Geo News channel
Mushtaq, who played 52 Tests and 144 ODIs for Pakistan between 1989 and 2003, made another strong statement when he said that he doesn't see Kohli continuing in T20Is for too long. The former leg-spinner reckons Kohli stepping down as T20I captain is an indication that his retirement from the shortest format isn't too far away.
"I think Kohli will soon retire from playing T20 internationals for his country although he will continue in the Indian Premier League. I think he has had his fill of this format,"
Mushtaq said on Geo News channel.
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Lastly, Mushtaq held the IPL accountable for India's flop show at the T20 World Cup, which saw them fail to reach the semi-finals for the first time in 8 years and 8 ICC tournaments. As fatigue is a crucial reason, Mushtaq mentioned that the stiff bio-bubble life is responsible for India's woeful outings at the T20 World Cup.
"I think India flopped in the World Cup because of the IPL. I think their players after remaining for so long in a bio-secure bubble before the World Cup were jaded and tired," added Mushtaq.