IPL 2021: "Quitting RCB's captaincy would have been better for Virat Kohli" - Ashish Nehra

While the IPL 2021 bandwagon got underway in Dubai, former India pacer Ashish Nehra came forward with his opinion on Virat Kohli's decision to step down from the saddle in T20Is after the upcoming World Cup.

Nehra, while talking to Cricbuzz during the Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings clash, said it would have been better for Kohli to step down from Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)'s captaincy instead.

He reasoned that there are more IPL matches than T20Is every year and the opulent league also puts more overall pressure on an IPL captain.

"I was also surprised. I believe India play around 5-7 T20Is and it's not like you won't play those games. You will still play as a batsman. If Virat Kohli had to take a step, considering his family, captaincy in all formats, especially in Test cricket, and if he thought there was a lot of load on him, I believe leaving IPL captaincy first would have been much better.

"You are talking about a 2-2.5 months-long tournament, the coach and management are in contact with you even before that, so leaving that would have been a better option for Virat Kohli rather than quitting the T20I captaincy," said Ashish Nehra.

In a move that was not unexpected but took everyone by surprise with its timing, Kohli announced on September 16 that he wants to manage his workload and will relinquish the captaincy for the same.

He also said the decision was taken after consultations with heir apparent Rohit Sharma and head coach Ravi Shastri.

You can check out the IPL teams and squads here.

Virat Kohli should stick to his decision irrespective of India's performance: Ashish Nehra

Ashish Nehra also said India winning the T20 2021 World Cup should not affect Virat Kohli's decision.

The former cricketer remarked that Kohli has already achieved enough in his captaincy career and should not be swayed by the result of the tournament.

"He should not be affected by this. See, he has already achieved a lot, has captained the team for 4-5 years and has even won some big series in the Test format, so he should not be affected by these things. Virat Kohli should stick to his decision whether or not India win the T20 World Cup," added Nehra.

India's T20 World Cup schedule will begin on October 24 against Pakistan. Meanwhile, CSK scored a substantial 156-6 in the first innings, recovering from a poor start, courtsey of Ruturaj Gaikwad's 58-ball 88.

According to the IPL 2021 time table, Kohli's RCB play their first match of the UAE leg of IPL 2021 tomorrow (September 20) against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).