Ravi Shastri Advocates for Virat Kohli's Immediate Captaincy After Test Retirement

Ravi Shastri's Thoughts on Kohli's Retirement

Ravi Shastri, the veteran coach of the Indian cricket team, recently expressed his belief that Virat Kohli should have been appointed as the captain of the Test team right after the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2024-25. Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket in May 2025, shortly after Rohit Sharma also exited the format.

Shastri's Remarks

"I feel sad that he has gone, the way he has gone. Sadly, I think it [retirement] could have been handled better, there should have been more communication. If I had anything to do with it, I would have made him the captain straight away after Australia,"

This statement has sparked speculation regarding the future leadership of the Indian Test team. India is set to face England in a five-match Test series starting June 20 at Headingley, with Shubman Gill expected to take on the captaincy role. Shastri, known for his strong relationship with Kohli, has been a significant figure in Indian cricket.

Their partnership as captain and coach was notably successful from 2014 to 2016 and again from 2017 to 2021, a time marked by remarkable achievements for Indian cricket. Under their guidance, India reached the semifinals of the 2019 ICC World Cup and secured consecutive Test series victories in Australia in 2018-19 and 2020-21, setting new records.

Kohli made his Test debut in 2011 against the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica, quickly establishing himself as a key player in the Indian batting lineup. His standout performance came in 2019 when he scored an impressive 254 not out against South Africa in Pune.

However, the latter part of his Test career did not match the brilliance of his early years. In the past five years, Kohli struggled with his form, averaging 30.72 with only three centuries and nine half-centuries. He played a total of 123 Tests, falling short of the 10,000-run milestone in this format by just 770 runs. After retiring from T20Is last year, Kohli is now focusing solely on the 50-over format for India.