Former India captain Virat Kohli talked about his time working with ex-India all-rounder Ravi Shastri while they were at the helm of the Indian cricket team. Shastri first joined the Indian team in 2015 as team director and then became the head coach from 2017 to 2021.
He and Virat Kohli made India a powerhouse in Test cricket, winning the Test Championship Mace five years in a row. India also reached the semi-final of the 2019 World Cup under Kohli and Shastri and won their maiden Test series in Australia in 2018-19. India also played the final of the first-ever World Test Championship in 2021.
Recently, Virat Kohli talked candidly about his collaboration with Ravi Shastri, the previous head coach of India. The former captain of India disclosed that although the two frequently disagreed on certain issues, their shared objective of assisting India in winning games and maintaining its position as the world's top cricket team was unaffected.
"That gave me complete confidence in him throughout our working relationship, and that's why we had such a great time working together. We had disagreements and different points of view, but never different intentions. The goal was always India winning and Indian cricket staying at the top,” Kohli said on the One8 podcast.
Under the Kohli and Shastri partnership, India played 39 Tests, winning 22, losing 13, and drawing four.
When their plans failed, Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri always accepted blame, according to Kohli. The former captain of India acknowledged that they occasionally disagreed on tactics, but their ability to listen to one another enabled them to develop a fruitful alliance.
"His methods worked many times, and my methods worked many times. Sometimes we disagreed on certain things, but if something didn't work, we took accountability. Over time, we realized that different paths can lead to the same destination. We were always willing to give and take when needed, and the people working around us were wonderful as well," Kohli added.
Ravi Shastri's ability to relate to players of all ages was commended by Virat Kohli. According to the former captain of India, Shastri fostered a happy atmosphere on the team, was always receptive to new ideas, and spoke openly with players.
"He actually wanted me to get better. Over the course of our working together, the one thing that stood out was how open he was and how eager he was to evolve with different generations of players. He was as comfortable with MS Dhoni as he was with Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal.
For me, that was brilliant. He was also willing to take responsibility up front. If the team were under pressure, he would say, 'I want to go to the press conference.' ''I want to handle this, and I know what I need to say.'
The players had complete confidence in him because he made everyone feel comfortable. They knew he would be honest. He never made gestures or criticized players publicly during practice. Instead, he would speak to you one-on-one in the dressing room or in his room and tell you exactly what he expected from you. But in front of the media, he always backed his players fully," he stated.
Kohli was to play in the ongoing ODI series between India and Afghanistan, but was ruled out due to a hamstring injury he suffered during the IPL 2026 final. Kohli will likely return to action when India visits England for three ODIs in July.
