Virat Kohli announced his Test retirement on May 12.
As the fans continue to move on from the sudden Test retirement of Virat Kohli, India’s former head coach Ravi Shastri has shared his version of the relentless fighter we saw in the whites. In his column for Sportstar, Shastri also spoke about why Kohli must have made a shocking decision shortly before India’s Test tour of England starting June 20.
“Maybe mental fatigue drove him to decide because he was as fit as any other player in the team. He knew his body best, but the mind would have played the decisive role. I will not rule out burnout as the decisive factor in curtailing his career at a critical phase of Indian cricket.”
To add to the gut-wrenching woes of the fans, Shastri also believes Kohli could’ve taken over the captaincy for the upcoming tour, following Rohit Sharma’s Test retirement a week before his own.
“I am sure Virat still had two years of Test cricket left in him. I would have loved to see him in England this summer. It would have been a good idea to hand him the captaincy for the tour, but he would know best why he decided to leave.”
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Over the last week, much has been spoken about Kohli’s many records achieved across the world. While he conquered the SENA nations, Shastri spoke about the Delhi batter’s passion executed on the field. He kept putting in the hard yards and redefined the level of fitness in this sport.
“His drive for perfection was nothing short of madness.”
Though it remains hurtful to see Kohli bid adieu to Test cricket, the fans can now be assured that he reached his saturation. Over the past decade, the 36-year-old gave his everything to the sport before hanging up his boots. However, he has indeed left a void in the playing XI. He single-handedly took care of the valuable No.4 spot. More so, with two great leaders walking away from the red-ball format, Shastri reminds us that Kohli led fire with fire.
“Virat was a captain forged in fire: relentless in pursuit, unwavering in intent. Every waking hour was bent toward one goal: to make India the best in the world. And he did. Under his leadership, India climbed to the top of the Test rankings, and more importantly, began conquering the final frontier — winning overseas.”
While the spectators will continue to flock to each of Kohli’s games regardless of venue and weather, Shastri acknowledges the priceless transformation he has brought to Indian cricket.
“A great ambassador for Test cricket when the format was losing out to the explosion of T20 cricket. True, T20 brings in the moolah, but Virat brought the fans to the Test arenas, at home and overseas.”
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