Former India cricketer Ravi Shastri has revealed the reason Virat Kohli gave him behind his shock retirement from Test cricket.
The star India batter announced his retirement from the red-ball format on May 12, just ahead of India’s five-match series in England from June 20.
“I’m walking away with a heart full of gratitude – for the game, for the people I shared the field with, and for every single person who made me feel seen along the way,” Virat Kohli wrote in a post on Instagram.
His former coach, Ravi Shastri, has now revealed his conversation with the star batter before his announcement.
“I did speak to him about it, I think a week before that [his announcement] and his mind was very clear that he’d given us everything,” he said in a recent interview.
Shastri added, “There were no regrets. There were one or two questions I asked, and that’s a personal conversation which, you know, he mentioned very clearly, there were no doubts in his mind, which made me think, ‘Yes, the time is right’. The mind has told his body that it’s time to go.”
The former India cricketer, however, admitted that he was surprised when Virat Kohli told his about his decision.
“Virat surprised me because I thought he had at least two-three years of Test match cricket left in him,” Ravi Shastri said.
He added, “But then, when you’re mentally fried and overcooked, that’s what tells your body. You might be physically the fittest guy in the business. You might be fitter than half the guys in your team, but mentally you’re well done, as they say, then it sends a message to the body. You know, that’s it.”
It is worth noting here that Kohli made his debut in 2011 and scored 30 centuries and 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85 in 123 tests.