Virat Kohli should have captained India in England Test series: Ravi Shastri

Former India head coach, Ravi Shastri, recently expressed that Virat Kohli was far from done with Test cricket. He also felt handing over the captaincy for the upcoming five-Test series against England would have been a good idea had he not retired from the longest format of the game.

Shastri speculated that mental fatigue could be the primary reasons behind Kohli's sudden retirement from Test cricket, a format which he enjoyed playing the most.

"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. 

Will walk away from the game once he is done playing cricket: Shastri

The renowned commentator also said that he feels that Kohli will not opt for any coaching or broadcasting role which cricketers usually take up after international retirement.

"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," added Shastri.

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Kohli, who recently retired from Test cricket after playing 123 matches (210 innings) was only 770 runs short of the 10,000-run mark in Tests. Having already retired from T20Is last year, his sole focus will be on representing India in the 50-over format till as long he can.