Ravi Shastri discloses chat with Virat Kohli a week before Test retirement: 'Asked him 1-2 personal questions…'
Ravi Shastri confirmed media reports that Virat Kohli reached out to him before announcing his Test retirement.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri, on Thursday, laid bare his discussion with Virat Kohli just a week before his shock retirement from Test cricket. Shastri revealed that although the decision "surprised" him still, Kohli's responses during that chat made him realise the time was right for him to leave the format.
On Monday afternoon, just five days after Rohit Sharma drew curtains on his career in Test cricket, Kohli did the same, ending days of sudden speculation with a confirmation post on Instagram. The 36-year-old. hence, ended his career as the fourth-highest run-getter for India in Test cricket with 9230 runs, comprising 30 centuries.
In the days following the announcement, the media reported that Kohli had reached out to Shastri, with whom he had formed a great rapport during his tenure with the Indian team, before taking the big call. And the India legend confirmed on the ICC review that Kohli did reach out to him.
"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 also felt Kohli’s infectious personality and the constant spotlight he was under contributed to a burnout.
“If he decided to do something, then he gave his 100%, which is not easy to match. Individually, as a bowler, as a batsman," said Shastri, who formed one of the most successful captain-coach duos in Indian Test cricket history with Kohli.
"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.”
‘Virat surprised me…’
The chat and the eventual announcement left Shastri "surprised", as he always maintained that Kohli had a few more years left in him, at least in Test cricket, the format he cherished the most and was considered an ambassador of.
"Virat surprised me because I thought he had at least two-three years of Test match cricket left in him," he said.
"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."
The Kohli-Shastri era will remain one of the greatest periods in Test history, let alone for Indian cricket. The team not only dominated the ICC rankings chart but also secured a historic Test series win in Australia, back-to-back series wins in the West Indies, and broke a 22-year drought for a series win in Sri Lanka. Shastri, however, credited Kohli largely for the turnaround in Indian cricket.
"At times when you quit the game, you know, and after a month or two months you say, 'I wish I had done this, I wish I had done this.'
"[Kohli] He's done everything. He's captained sides, he's won World Cups, he's won an Under-19 World Cup [2008] himself. I mean, there's nothing for him to achieve."
