"Could Have Been Handled Better" - Ravi Shastri On Virat Kohli's Test Retirement

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri feels Virat Kohli’s retirement from Test cricket could have been handled better. Kohli announced his retirement from red-ball cricket in May, just before the five-match Test series in England, starting on June 20.

"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, who was the head coach of the Indian team for the majority of Kohli’s captaincy tenure, said on Sony Sports Network’s program ‘Bharat Tum Chale Chalo: Kahani 21-22 Ki’.

“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.

"I feel sad that he's gone the way he has — suddenly. I think it could have been handled better, maybe with more communication. If I had anything to do with it, I would’ve made him captain straight after Australia.”

Kohli, who is India’s most successful Test captain, retired with 9230 runs in 123 Tests at an average of 46.85, studded with 30 tons and 31 fifties. The right-handed batter, however, has been mediocre in Tests since 2020, averaging just 30.73 in 39 Tests.