Former India coach Ravi Shastri opened up about Virat Kohli reaching out to him before he announced his shock retirement from the longest format. Notably, Kohli had announced his decision to hang up his boots on May 12, just days after former skipper Rohit Sharma took a similar stance.
Kohli and Shastri formed one of the most successful captain-coach duos in Indian Test cricket history and was India’s coach for the majority of Kohli’s tenure as captain when India became the No.1 side in red-ball cricket and held the spot for a staggering 42 months.
“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,” Shastri told to The ICC Review.
“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, however, ended by saying that he still believed Kohli could have continued playing Test cricket for another couple of years.
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Virat Kohli concluded his illustrious 14-year Test career with 30 centuries in 123 matches, solidifying his legacy as one of India’s greatest batsmen. Additionally, he stands as India’s most successful Test captain, leading India to 40 victories in 68 matches, 13 more than the next-best MS Dhoni.
His announcement thus surprised many cricket fans and experts, especially since he was only 770 runs away from achieving the rare milestone of 10k Test runs.
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