New Delhi: Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has raised his voice against the way in which Virat Kohli had to make an exit from Test cricket, saying that his retirement could have been handled better, as he deserved a proper farewell. He even went on to say that if he were in authority, he would have reinstated him as captain after the Australia series (BGT), which India lost 3-1.
Kohli called time on his red-ball career last month, as he wrapped up his Test innings with 123 matches, amassing 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries. Shastri, who closely worked with former captain Kohli as Team India’s head coach, knows exactly what kind of player the star batter was considering his magnitude, and how untimely it was for Indian cricket to see him walk out of whites.
“When you go, that’s when people realise how big a player he was. I feel sad that he is gone, the way he is gone. I think it could have been handled better, there should have been more communication,” Shastri said in a video, shared by SonyLiv on social media.
Watch Shastri speak about Kohli’s retirement –
🗣️ “𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘴𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦…” – Ravi Shastri
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‘Would have made him captain…’ – Shastri
Kohli’s decision to hang up his boots on his Test career came just days before the Indian team management was to announce the squad for the five-Test series against England. This made him join the “unfortunate” list of Indian cricketers who didn’t get a Test swansong after their retirement announcement. Shastri had coached India during their historic Test series win in Australia under Kohli’s leadership.
He said if he had anything to do with Kohli’s retirement, he would have reinstated him as captain after India were downed 1-3 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier this year. “If I had anything to do with it, I would have made him captain, straightaway after Australia,” Shastri said.
Kohli’s retirement was preceded by skipper Rohit Sharma’s exit from the format, who bid adieu to Tests just five days before Kohli. Following these major developments, the selectors appointed Shubman Gill as captain for the England series, which begins on June 20 in Leeds with the first Test.
Ravi Shastri is not happy with the way Virat Kohli called it quits from Test cricket and feels there should have been more communication and better handling of the situation. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
