Courtesy: BCCI
Former India Head coach Ravi Shastri made a bold claim on Virat Kohli’s Test retirement ahead of the series against England. Shastri revealed that he was ‘sad’ when he got to knee about Kohli’s retirement from the longest format of the game. Kohli called off his red-ball cricket via Instagram post on May 12.
Ravi Shastri, who shares a close bond with Virat Kohli, said that he would have made his captain right after the Australia tour. Notably, India had a forgettable outing the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy down under as they ended up losing a Test series against Australia after 10 years. This was also the last time when both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli played for India in the Test format.
“It’s when you go; that’s when people will realise how big a player he was. I feel sad that he’s gone, the way he’s gone. I think it could have been handled better, or there should have been more communication. If I had anything to do with it, I would have made him captain straight away after Australia,” Shastri said on Sony Liv.
He will lead by example: Gary Kirsten ahead of England tour
After Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s Test retirements, Shubman Gill has been appointed as new Test captain ahead of India’s upcoming tour to England with Rishabh Pant as his deputy. This will be the first time that Gill will lead India in Tests. Ahead of England tour, former India head coach Gary Kirsten backed Gill to have a good outing as Test captain in the upcoming Test series starting on June 20.
“He (Gill) is a smart cricketer with a deep understanding of the game. He is diligent in preparation and training—he’ll lead by example," Kirsten was quoted as saying by News18.
“Shubman has the raw materials to become a really good leader. I think he is primed to take the international scene by storm," 2011 World Cup winning head coach further added.
