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India had some of its best years in Test cricket when Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli were the head coach and captain, respectively. From winning a Test series in Australia for the first time to qualifying for the finals of the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC), the Shastri-Kohli duo gave Indian cricket fans some cherishable memories.
Kohli shocked the cricket fraternity on Monday, May 12, as he announced his retirement from the longest format of the game. Shastri said that he had a conversation with the 36-year-old before he made his decision public. The former India cricketer said that Kohli had no doubt in his mind regarding the call and that he knew he had given everything he could to his nation in the red-ball format.
“I did speak to him about it (retirement), I think a week before that (his announcement), and his mind was very clear that he’d given us everything,” Shastri said on The ICC Review.
“There were no regrets. There were one or two questions I asked, and that’s a personal conversation which, 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,” the ace commentator added.
Kohli brought the curtains down on his illustrious Test career after playing 123 matches and scoring 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85. Shastri highlighted how involved Kohli is when he plays and how it could lead to a burnout if he doesn’t manage his workload.
“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. 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 compartmentalise how much he wants to play across formats, there is bound to be a burnout,” Shastri said.
He just got people to watch the game: Ravi Shastri
Shastri spoke about the Delhi batter’s stardom worldwide and how he shared a love-hate relationship with cricket enthusiasts.
“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 whether it’s South Africa, he just got people to watch the game. There was a love-hate relationship,” Shastri noted.
“They would get angry because he had the ability to get under the skin of the viewer also. In the way he celebrated, you know, 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 said that he was surprised by Kohli’s retirement call as he felt that the former India skipper had two-three years of Test cricket left in him.
“Virat surprised me because I thought he had at least two or three years of Test match cricket left in him. But then, when you’re mentally fried and overcooked, that’s what tells your body. You might be physically the fittest guy in the business. You might be fitter than half the guys in your team, but mentally you’re well done, as they say, then it sends a message to the body. You know, that’s it,” Shastri concluded.
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