Virat Kohli, who announced his retirement from Test cricket in May this year, played an instrumental role in India's red-ball resurgence over the past decade with his aggressive captaincy, prolific batting and unmatched intensity on the field.

Under his captaincy, India were competitive everywhere and registered their maiden Test series triumph on Australian soil in 2018-19.

Overall, Kohli led his country in 68 Test matches and suffered defeat in only 17 of them. With 40 wins and 11 draws, he boasts a remarkable win percentage of 58.82, making him the most successful Test captain in India's history.

Recently, Kohli acknowledged the pivotal role played by former head coach Ravi Shastri in his success as Test skipper.

Speaking at Yuvraj Singh's YouWeCan Gala event in London, Kohli highlighted Shastri's impact on his personal journey and the team's rise to the top of the Test rankings.

“Honestly, if I wasn’t working with him... what happened in Test cricket wouldn’t have been possible. The clarity which we had together is very hard to find. It’s everything for cricketers to grow in their careers.

“Even he hadn’t backed me the way he did... those press conferences where he took the bullets from the front line. Things would have been different and I always have respect and regard for him, for being a massive part of my cricketing journey,” said Kohli.

Shastri returned the compliment, hailing Kohli as the most influential cricketer of the last 15 years.

“You win World Cups and other things but for him to take the red ball cricket to the next level was something he wanted. Once he decided his mantra for success, the others had to follow.

“If India is playing a level of Test match cricket today, especially the younger generation that played under him, they should thank him. Even world cricket should thank him. With India playing well in Test cricket, the bucks came in, the BCCI got their chunk and rightly so.

“They are taking little, they should take more. But he is the most influential of the last decade or so,” Shastri remarked.

Virat Kohli finished his Test career with 9230 runs from 123 matches at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries and 31 fifties, with the highest score of 254.

Having retired from T20Is last year, the 36-year-old will now focus solely on the One-Day International format.

(With PTI Inputs)