Why did Virat take Test retirement? 'Surprised' Ravi Shastri told; He called and…

Ravi Shastri on Virat Kohli Retirement: Virat Kohli put an end to his Test career on 12 May. There were many reactions to his retirement. Now Ravi Shastri, who was the coach of Team India with him, made some revelations about his retirement, which were among the possible reasons for it.

Ravi Shastri on Virat Kohli Retirement: Virat Kohli said goodbye to his 14-year Test career on 12 May. Since his retirement, there have been many reactions to this. People expressed their views on 36-year-old Kohli's premature retirement. According to media reports, the BCCI also tried to stop Kohli. But Kohli had made up his mind by India's tour of England and acted accordingly. The pair of Kohli and Shastri has been one of the most successful captain-coach pairs in Indian Test cricket history. Shastri has now confirmed that Kohli had called him before publicly announcing his decision.

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri on Thursday revealed that he had spoken to Virat Kohli before his shocking Test retirement. Shastri said that Kohli had clearly told him that he has no regrets about his career and has given everything for his country in Test cricket. Shastri told Sanjana Ganesan in The ICC Review, "I spoke to him about this, maybe a week ago, and his mind was very clear that he has given us everything. There were no regrets. I asked a couple of questions, which is part of our personal conversation and he said very clearly that there was no doubt in his mind. This also made me feel that now is the right time. His mind had told his body that now is the time to go."

Virat Kohli's Test career

Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket on Monday, May 12. He has scored 9230 runs in Test cricket, the fourth most by any Indian batsman, scoring 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries during this period. Virat Kohli has been India's most successful Test captain. He captained in 68 Tests, winning 40, which is 13 more than second-placed MS Dhoni. As a player, Kohli is known for his fiery and passionate style. Shastri believes that this kind of energy also has a limit.

Kohli used to give his 100 percent- Ravi Shastri

Shastri said, "If he decided to do something, he would give his 100 percent in it, which is not possible for everyone. Be it a batsman or a bowler, a player does his job and then sits down. But Kohli was not like that. When the team was on the field, it seemed that he had to take all the wickets himself, catch all the catches himself, take all the decisions himself. Being so deeply involved... then burnout is bound to happen somewhere if you do not rest or do not decide how much to play in which format."

Being famous is also a reason for retirement

Shastri also cited Kohli's popularity as one of the reasons that increased the mental pressure on him. He said, "He has received praise from all over the world. He has had a bigger fan base than any other cricketer in the last decade. Be it Australia or South Africa, he used to connect people to the game. He had a love-hate relationship. People used to get angry with him because he had the ability to get under the skin of the audience. His style of celebration was so intense that it spread rapidly like a rash. Not only in the dressing room, but also in the living rooms of the audience. He was a great personality."

Virat's decision surprised everyone

Still, Shastri admits that Kohli's decision surprised him. He said, "Virat surprised me because I thought he still had two-three years of Test cricket left in him. But when you get mentally tired, when you get 'overcooked', that is what gives signals to the body. You may be the fittest player, but if the mind is tired, then the body gets the same signals that enough is enough." 

The Shastri-Kohli era saw Indian Test cricket achieve many historic milestones, such as winning a Test series in Australia for the first time, consecutive series wins in the West Indies and a series win in Sri Lanka after 22 years. The team was also very competitive in South Africa and England, where subcontinental teams have traditionally struggled. Shastri largely credited Kohli for these successes.

Now he had nothing left to achieve

He finally said, "Many times when you leave the game, after a month or two you feel that I wish I had done this, I wish I had done that. But Kohli has done everything. He has captained, won the World Cup, has also won the Under-19 World Cup. Now he has nothing left to achieve."

PC:Prabhat Khabar