Ravi Shastri Opens Up on Pre-Retirement Chat with Kohli: ‘His Mind Was Very Clear’

Former head coach Ravi Shastri opened up about his discussion with Virat Kohli before he announced his retirement. Shastri said that Virat’s responses during their interaction made him realise that it was the right time for the latter to leave test cricket.

Following Virat’s retirement, reports claimed that he reached out to Ravi Shastri before announcing his retirement. Recently, Shastri confirmed that Virat did reach out to him.

Shastri Opens Up About His Discussion With Virat

“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,” Shastri told Sanjana Ganesan.

“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.”

“If he decided to do something, then he gave his 100%, which is not easy to match. Individually, as a bowler, as a batsman,” said Shastri.

“A player does his job, [and] then you sit back. But [with Kohli] when the team goes out, it’s as if he has to take all the wickets, he has to take all the catches, he has to make all the decisions on the field. “That much involvement, I would think there’s going to be a burnout somewhere if he doesn’t take a rest, if he doesn’t compartmentalise how much he wants to play across formats, there is bound to be a burnout.”

Surprised by Virat’s Decision

Shastri stated that he was taken aback by Virat’s retirement decision. He believed that Virat had a few more years left of test cricket.

“Virat surprised me because I thought he had at least two-three years of Test match cricket left in him,” he said.

“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.”

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