Former India head coach Ravi Shastri opened up about his conversation with Virat Kohli just a week before his sudden retirement from Test cricket. Shastri mentioned that the decision came as a surprise to him, but Kohli’s response during their conversation convinced him that it was the right time to leave the format.
Kohli announced his retirement through an Instagram post following all the speculation regarding his future in Test cricket. He ended his career as the fourth-highest run-scorer for India in Test cricket with 9,230 runs, including 30 centuries.
According to media reports, Kohli reached out to Shastri, with whom he shares great camaraderie, before making this big decision. Shastri confirmed on the ICC Review that he had a chat with Kohli.
“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 Sanjana Ganesan.
“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
Shastri also believed that Kohli’s intense persona and the relentless public attention played a role in his burnout.
“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, 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 that Virat suprised him as he always thought that he had few more years in Test cricket. as he cherished the format the most and he was considered as the ambassador.
“Virat surprised me because I thought he had at least two-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 added
The Kohli-Shastri era is regarded as one of the finest phases in Test cricket history, especially for Indian cricket. Under their leadership, the team topped the ICC rankings, clinched a landmark Test series victory in Australia, secured consecutive series wins in the West Indies, and ended a 22-year wait for a series triumph in Sri Lanka. Despite these collective achievements, Shastri gave most of the credit to Kohli for transforming Indian cricket.
The post ‘Virat surprised me…’: Former India head coach reveals conversation with Virat Kohli a week prior to his Test retirement appeared first on Cricket Country.
