Indian cricket superstar Virat Kohli announced on Thursday that he will step down as captain in the Twenty20 International (T20Is) format after the T20 World Cup that will begin in Dubai next month.

Sharing his decision on Twitter, Kohli said that he would remain the captain in the One Day International (ODI) and Test formats as well as a player for the national side in T20Is.

"Considering my immense workload over the last 8-9 years playing all three formats and captaining regularly for last 5-6 years, I feel I need to give myself space to be fully ready to lead the Indian team in Test and ODI cricket," the player disclosed.

He added that he had "given everything" to the Indian cricket team during his time as the T20I captain and would continue to do so in the future as a batsman.

Kohli said he had taken a lot of time to make his decision and consulted his seniors as well as officials of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

He thanked the support staff, the team's selection committee, coaches, and "every Indian who prayed for us to win" for their support during his time as captain.

Kohli's decision comes days after a top BCCI official said he would remain the captain in all three formats of the game.

Kohli's recent sketchy form with the bat had led to reports that changes could be made after the T20 World Cup. But the star player had received a vote of confidence from BCCI Secretary Jay Shah.

"There is no such proposal [to replace Kohli] and the team is led by Virat and we are backing him," Shah had said at the time.

Earlier this year, Kohli had revealed that he struggled with depression and felt like the "loneliest guy in the world" after failing with the bat during a tour of England in 2014.