Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri has revealed that he spoke with Virat Kohli before the latter's unannounced Test retirement.
On Monday, May 12, Kohli announced the end of his Test career, even though India's five-Test trip to England in June was rapidly approaching. Kohli finishes as one of the greatest Test batters of his generation with 30 Test hundreds and 9230 runs in 123 Tests, the fourth-highest total by an Indian batter.
India's most successful Test skipper is Kohli, who has won 40 of 68 Test matches, 13 more than second-best MS Dhoni.
Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli formed a formidable duo in their time as head coach and captain of the Indian team from 2017 to 2021. India kept an impeccable record at home in Tests during their tenure and reached the final of the 2021 World Test Championship.
But their biggest achievement was leading India to their maiden Test series win over Australia in Australia in 2018/19. Ravi Shastri’s tenure as head coach of India ended after India’s humiliating loss at the 2021 T20 World Cup in Dubai.
Ravi Shastri has told the ICC Review that he had a conversation with Virat Kohli before declaring his retirement from Test cricket.
“I did speak to him about it, I think a week before that [his announcement], and his mind was very clear that he’d given us everything. There were no regrets. There were one or two questions I asked, and that’s a personal conversation, which, you know, he mentioned very clearly, there were no doubts in his mind, which made me think, ‘Yes, the time is right.’ The mind has told his body that it’s time to go,” Shastri said on ICC Review.
“If he decided to do something, then he gave his 100%, which is not easy to match. Individually, as a bowler, as a batsman. A player does his job, [and] then you sit back. But [with Kohli], when the team goes out, it’s as if he has to take all the wickets, he has to take all the catches, and he has to make all the decisions on the field.
With that much involvement, I would think there’s going to be a burnout somewhere if he doesn’t take a rest; if he doesn’t compartmentalize how much he wants to play across formats, there is bound to be a burnout,” he added.
According to Shastri, Kohli's celebrity and the constant attention he received would wear him down and lead to him getting exhausted.
“He’s got accolades around the globe. He has a bigger following than any other cricketer in the last decade. Whether it’s Australia or South Africa, he just got people to watch the game. There was a love-hate relationship.
They would get angry because he could get under the skin of the viewer, also. In the way he celebrated, you know, with his intensity, was such that it was like a rash. It spread very quickly, not just within the dressing room but within living rooms as well for people watching cricket. So he was an infectious personality,” he added.
Shastri did admit, though, that Kohli's decision took him by surprise. Additionally, he said that Kohli has had a successful career with the Whites and has nothing left to accomplish.
“At times when you quit the game, you know, and after a month or two months, you say, ‘I wish I had done this, I wish I had done this.’ [Kohli] He’s done everything. He’s captained sides, he’s won World Cups, and he’s won an Under-19 World Cup [2008] himself. I mean, there’s nothing for him to achieve,” Shastri signed off.
Virat Kohli, who has been part of the Indian team that won the 2011 World Cup, the 2013 and 2025 Champions Trophy, and the 2014 T20 World Cup, will continue to play in ODI format for India.
(ICC inputs)
