Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri has expressed his disappointment over the way star batter Virat Kohli's Test career came to an end.
Shastri said that Kohli's retirement could have been handled better and added that he should have been made Test captain after the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Virat Kohli had a disappointing outing with the bat during the Test series against Australia, where the team lost 1-3. Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket last month. He made his decision just ahead of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle, which is set to begin on June 20.
I Would Have Made Virat Kohli Captain Straight Away - Ravi Shastri
Speaking on Sony Sports, Ravi Shastri said that he was disappointed over Virat Kohli's retirement, adding that there was a lack of proper communication. Shastri added that he would have reappointed Kohli as captain immediately after the Australia series.
"It's when you go, that's when people will realise how big a player he was. I feel sad that he is gone, the way he's gone. I think it could have been handled better. There should have been more communication. If I had anything to do with it, I would have made him captain straight away after Australia," Shastri said.
Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket just a week after Rohit Sharma stepped away from the format. The selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, named Shubman Gill to lead the Test side. His first challenge as captain will be the upcoming five-match series against England.
An Ambassador for Test Match Cricket - Ravi Shastri
Ravi Shastri praised Virat Kohli as a great player whose impact goes far beyond statistics. Shastri said Kohli's leadership and passion made him a powerful ambassador for Test cricket.
"Virat has announced his retirement from Test matches, which is sad, you know, because he's a great player. A great player. It's only when you go that people truly realise how big a player you were," Shastri said.
"Stats don't do justice - it's about the way he carried himself, especially as an ambassador for Test match cricket, particularly overseas. The way he played at Lord's, and how his team turned things around - it was unreal. And I'm glad I was a part of it."
Virat Kohli Finished as India's Most Successful Test Captain
Virat Kohli finished his Test career as India's most successful captain in the format, recording 40 wins from 68 matches. India dominated the ICC Test rankings through the late 2010s and reached the final of the inaugural World Test Championship in 2021.
Kohli led India to a historic 2-1 series win in Australia in 2018-19 - their first ever on Australian soil. He also guided the team to a 2-1 lead in England in 2021 before the final Test was postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
The 36-year-old ended his red-ball journey as India's fourth-highest run-scorer in Tests, amassing 9,230 runs at an average of nearly 47 across 123 matches. He scored 30 centuries, behind only Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Sunil Gavaskar among Indian batters.
However, the latter part of his career saw a dip in form, with just three centuries in his final 39 matches. India's upcoming Test tour of England will be their first without Kohli in the squad since 2011.
