Ravi Shastri, the former India coach, has spoken highly of Virat Kohli, saying he was exceptional as a batsman and captain. He said Kohli did well in both roles throughout his career. Shastri and Kohli were a great coach-captain combination, who built a team that was dominant at home and abroad.
Kohli decided to retire from Test cricket in May, just before India’s 5-Test tour of England in June. He leaves behind a legacy as one of the best batsmen of his time. Kohli is India’s most successful Test captain, with 40 wins out of 68 matches he led. That’s 13 more than the next best, MS Dhoni.
Shastri spoke to Sky Sports, “It was great. I knew he was the man to lead the team and I wanted him to do so. Once I took over and Dhoni was done, Kohli did a fantastic job.”
RAVI SHASTRI ON VIRAT KOHLI & HIS PERFORMANCE AS CAPTAIN OF INDIA. (Sky Sports).
— Tanuj (@ImTanujSingh) August 14, 2025
– The GOAT, King Kohli..!!!! 🐐
pic.twitter.com/dEtQAmmrzc
Shastri added, “Firstly his batting, his ability to dominate, to be assertive, to play hard but fair and his desire to win and push the game forward was remarkable. Kohli at his peak as a batsman was unbelievable. During the 5 years when India was number one in Test cricket, some of the innings he played in Australia, South Africa and England across all formats were incredible.”
Under Shastri and Kohli’s leadership the team won some of India’s most memorable Test victories. These included the first ever series win in Australia and back to back series wins in the West Indies. The team also competed well in South Africa and England and challenged the home teams in tough conditions.
Ravi Shastri also revealed he had spoken to Virat Kohli before Kohli’s surprise retirement from Test cricket. Kohli retired on May 12 despite India’s 5-Test tour of England in June. Kohli is considered one of the best Test batsmen of his generation, having scored 9230 runs in the format, which is the 4th highest by an Indian batsman. He also has 30 Test centuries.
Read Also:- Suryakumar Yadav’s Japan Trip Fuels Doubts Over Fitness and Squad Selection
Kohli and Shastri were a very successful captain-coach combination in Indian Test cricket history. Shastri confirmed Kohli had spoken to him before making the announcement.Shastri spoke in The ICC Review, I spoke to him about it a week before he announced it. He was very clear he had given it his all.
He had no regrets. I asked him a couple of questions in a personal conversation. He said he had no doubts in his mind and that made me think it was time. His mind had told his body it was time to stop.
During the Shastri-Kohli era India won some of its most famous Test victories. A historic first ever Test series win in Australia, back to back series wins in the West Indies and ended a 22 year wait for a series win in Sri Lanka.
