Former Indian cricket coach Ravi Shastri has revealed the conversation he had with Virat Kohli before his unexpected Test retirement announcement on Monday, May 12. Kohli took this decision before the upcoming five-Test series against England in June, which has shocked his fans and big personalities of the cricket world. Kohli scored 9230 runs in Test cricket in which he has scored 30 centuries.
What did Ravi Shastri say
Shastri and Kohli are considered India’s most successful captain-coach pair in Test cricket. Shastri told Sanjana Ganesan in ICC Review, “I talked to him about this, I think a week ago his mind was very clear that he has given us everything. There was no regret. I asked one or two questions, and that was a personal conversation, which he mentioned very clearly, there was no doubt in his mind, which made me think, ‘Yes, the time is right. His mind has told his body that now is the time to go.'” Shastri further said, “If he decided to do something, he gave his 100%, which is not easy to match. Individually, as a bowler, as a batsman, a player does his job, then you sit back and relax. When the team goes to the field, it seems like he has to take all the wickets, he has to take all the catches, he has to take all the decisions on the field. So much involvement, I think if he doesn’t rest, if he doesn’t decide how much he has to play in different formats, there will be a burnout somewhere.” Kohli has left behind a remarkable legacy as India’s most successful Test captain. He has won 40 out of 68 Tests. This is 13 wins ahead of MS Dhoni’s record.
