Ravi Shastri opens up about Virat Kohli's retirement, says ‘I would've made him Captain straight after Australia'
Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket on May 12, 2025, by posting a heartwarming note on his Instagram handle. The news spread like wildfire and speculations were made on the reasons for his retirement ahead of Team India's new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
While Kohli's Ranji coach Sarandeep Singh expressed shock by saying that the 36-year-old wanted to smash centuries in India's upcoming five-match Test series against England, there were some reports suggesting Kohli willfully took the decision to opt out. Former India coach and cricketer Ravi Shastri gave his take on the star player's retirement.
Ravi Shastri called out the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) over Kohli's Test retirement. The former India head coach claimed that the situation should have been handled in a better manner with clear communication. He noted that if the situation were in his hands, he would have made the star batter captain of Team India after the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-2025.
"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," Shastri said.
"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. 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," added Shastri in an interaction with Sony Sports.
Virat Kohli made his Test debut against West Indies in 2011. In his remarkable career, the 36-year-old played 210 innings in the Test format and accumulated 9,230 runs, with his highest individual score of 254*. He has smashed 30 centuries and 31 fifties in 123 matches that he was a part of, making him the fourth-highest run-getter for India in red-ball cricket.
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