'Most bizarre thing I have heard' - Virat Kohli responds to media calling Ravi Shastri 'Yes man'

Former India cricketer, Ravi Shastri was the Indian Team Director from 2014-16. He was later appointed as the Head Coach in 2017. It was believed that Virat Kohli was adamant about having Shastri as the coach after a reported rift with former coach Anil Kumble. Ahead of the crucial Australia tour in 2018, Kohli was queried whether the veteran is a ‘yes man.’ 

At the outset, Shastri resembled Virat Kohli's demeanour during his playing days. And glimpses of those days could be seen in the Television presenter’s appearances. Instinctively, the media was on the edge to have a peak into their bonding. When the question was posed, Kohli was quick to respond that it was the ‘most bizarre thing’ he had ever heard.

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"About saying 'yes' all the time, that is the most bizarre thing I have heard," Kohli said. "I don't think there's anyone who has said no to me more than him in Indian cricket. Honestly, because he's one guy I can speak to and get an honest opinion and he'll tell me something that if it doesn't need to be done, it doesn't need to be done. I've made more changes to my game listening to him than anyone else in the past,” said Kohli as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Shastri-Kohli partnership redifined Indian Test cricket

The Shastri-Kohli duo were at the helm of their coach and skipper position together from 2017 to 2021. It was the time when the star India batter was appointed as the full-time skipper across formats. The duo was part of the Champions Trophy 2017 Final loss, the 2019 World Cup 2023 semi-final loss, and India’s group-stage exit in the 2021 T20 World Cup. 

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However, the tenure redefined the Test cricket in India as the team won 22 out of 39 Tests. The team dominated white-ball cricket with 44 wins in 67 ODIs and 30 wins in 47 T20Is. The most memorable time of their stay was winning the first Test series on Australian soil and becoming the first subcontinent team to do so in 2021. India was the number-one ranked team in red-ball cricket from 2017-21.