Virat Kohli revealed the emotional and mental strain that led to his decision to resign from leadership roles with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and the Indian national team. Speaking on the RCB Bold Diaries podcast, Kohli opened up about the relentless scrutiny and expectations that affected his well-being, particularly during the final years of his captaincy.
Kohli stepped down as RCB captain after the 2021 IPL season and relinquished India’s T20I captaincy following the T20 World Cup later that year. He was then removed as ODI captain by the BCCI to streamline leadership under one white-ball captain. Following this, Kohli resigned as Test captain in January 2022, ending his tenure as one of India’s most successful leaders across formats.
The former captain said he constantly felt under pressure, with no relief from expectations around his batting and captaincy.
“There were expectations on me from a batting perspective every game I played. I didn’t have a sense that the attention was off me. I was exposed to it 24×7,”
Kohli said.
He also noted that the criticism often extended beyond performance and crept into personal life, adding another layer of mental strain that required a complete reset to overcome. He highlighted that the mental toll began to affect his enjoyment of the game.
“I need to have a space in my life where I can just come and play my cricket without being judged,”
he added, saying the environment made it hard to find joy in playing.
As a result, Kohli took a month-long break from cricket in 2022 to reset mentally and emotionally. During this time, he disconnected entirely from the game, which he said helped him return with greater clarity.
The India stalwart also acknowledged the support he received in the early phase of his international career, naming MS Dhoni and then-coach Gary Kirsten as key figures who backed him and trusted him with the No. 3 batting position, one that he went on to own for the next decade and a half.
