Bollywood reacts to Virat Kohli stepping down from India's test captaincy, call him ‘true leader’

Ritesh Deshmukh calls Virat "King Kohli" and Arjun Rampal thanks him for "incredible memories".

Pic courtesy: Instagram

New Delhi: Virat Kohli’s announcement of stepping down from India’s Test Captaincy on Saturday (January 15) after Test series defeat against South Africa broke many hearts. Virat led team India for seven years starting from 2014. In his long announcement note, the Indian cricketer wrote that he has “done the job with absolute honesty”. Various celebrities like Ranveer Singh, Varun Dhawan, Arjun Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Sara Tendulkar, Athiya Shetty, and others lent their support to Virat and liked his note.

Various celebs also took to Twitter to write appreciation posts for Kohli. “Aye Captain. Thank You. For the sweat. The blood. The tears of joy. For making us a relentless winning force anywhere in the world. For taking bouncers on the chin for us and making us No 1. Teary-eyed but grateful forever #GOAT @imVkohli. Keep winning for India,” wrote Suniel Shetty.

Aye Captain. Thank You. For the sweat. The blood. The tears of joy. For making us a relentless winning force anywhere in the world. For taking bouncers on the chin for us & making us No.1. Teary eyed but Grateful forever #GOAT @imVkohli  Keep winning for India pic.twitter.com/4AIDKfCG57 — Suniel Shetty (@SunielVShetty) January 15, 2022

Actor Vivek Oberoi tweeted, “It’s been a phenomenal journey to being the world’s #1 Test team & making winning series overseas a wonderful habit, but as they say, all good things come to an end. Here’s to you, Captain King Kohli, take a bow and now unleash your bat without the extra weight and fly. #ViratKohli.”

It's been a phenomenal journey to being the world's #1 test team & making winning series overseas a wonderful habit, but as they say, all good things come to an end. Here's to you Captain King Kohli, take a bow & now unleash your bat without the extra weight & flyy#ViratKohli https://t.co/8nVqYgB9Hi

— Vivek Anand Oberoi (@vivekoberoi) January 15, 2022

Actors Ritesh Deshmukh and Arjun Rampal also tweeted for Kohli.

No wonder they call him KING KOHLI Under your captaincy India reached great heights, dear @imVkohli thank you for making us so so proud. India’s heart beats for KOHLI. https://t.co/EcmS1BsZ0X — Riteish Deshmukh (@Riteishd) January 15, 2022

Why yaar? @imVkohli you are an amazing captain and have served our nation so well. You have many many more years of cricket in you and a captains mind. I do hope this decision is short lived. Yet,one respects your decision. Thank you for all the incredible memories. #ViratKohli — arjun rampal (@rampalarjun) January 15, 2022

In his stepping down note Kohli wrote, “It's been 7 years of hard work, toil and relentless perseverance everyday to take the team in the right direction. I've done the job with absolute honesty and left nothing out there. Every thing has to come to a halt at some stage and for me as Test Captain of' India, it's now. There have been many ups and also some downs along the journey, but never has there been a lack of effort or lack of belief”.

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A post shared by Virat Kohli (@virat.kohli)

He further thanked BCCI, MS Dhoni and Ravi Shastri in his note.