Virat Kohli should have captained India on England tour: Ravi Shastri backs India's retired superstar

Former India's head coach Ravi Shastri feels there was a lot of cricket left in Virat Kohli in the longest format as the superstar batter recently dropped a bomber on the cricket fans across the globe by announcing his shock retirement from Tests. Ravi Shastri also opined that had Kohli not retired from Test cricket, entrusting him with the captaincy for the approaching five-Test series against England would have been a commendable decision.

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I am sure Virat Kohli still had two years of Test cricket left in him: Ravi Shastri

Ravi Shastri speculated that mental fatigue could have played a significant role in his decision to step away from the longer format of the game.

"I am sure Virat still had two years of Test cricket left in him. I would have loved to see him in England this summer. It would have been a good idea to hand him the captaincy for the tour, but he would know best why he decided to leave. Maybe, mental fatigue drove him to decide because he was as fit as any other player in the team. He knew his body best, but the mind would have played the decisive role. I will not rule out burnout as the decisive factor in curtailing his career at a critical phase of Indian cricket," shared Shastri in a conversation with Sportstar.

Adding to his insights, the former India's star all-rounder expressed his belief regarding Virat Kohli's post-retirement plans. He anticipates that Kohli will likely refrain from pursuing typical avenues often embraced by cricketers after concluding their international careers, such as coaching or broadcasting roles.

"He is still around to serve Indian cricket in ODIs, but I also know that Virat will walk away from the game once he is done playing cricket. He is not the kind who would like to coach or take on the role of a broadcaster. I will miss him when India plays its first Test in England. He was a champion, and that is what I would like to remember – never conceding an inch," Shastri concluded.

Kohli's recent retirement from Test cricket brought an end to an illustrious career in the longest format, spanning 123 matches and 210 innings. Notably, at the time of his departure, he stood just 770 runs shy of reaching the significant milestone of 10,000 Test runs. Having already bid farewell to T20 International cricket in the preceding year, Kohli's cricketing focus will now solely be directed towards representing India in the 50-over format for as long as his career permits.