Ravi Shastri has expressed disappointment over how Virat Kohli’s retirement from Test cricket was handled, stating that he would’ve handed the Test captaincy back to Kohli right after the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024–25. Kohli stepped away from red-ball cricket in May 2025, just weeks after Rohit Sharma also announced his Test retirement, leaving a leadership vacuum in India’s longest-format setup.
As India prepares for a challenging five-match Test series against England starting June 20 at Headingley, Shubman Gill is set to lead the side in what promises to be a defining chapter of his young career.
Shastri, who shares a deep professional bond with Kohli from their time together between 2014 and 2021, believes more transparent communication might have altered the course of Kohli’s exit. “I feel sad that he has gone, the way he has gone. It could have been handled better. If it were up to me, I would’ve made him captain straight after Australia,” Ravi Shastri said.
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Kohli’s legacy in Test cricket is undeniable. Having debuted in 2011, he evolved into one of India’s most dependable batters. His leadership, alongside Shastri’s mentorship, saw India achieve landmark wins, including back-to-back Test series triumphs in Australia and a semifinal finish in the 2019 World Cup.
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While his early Test years were marked by dominance, Virat Kohli’s final five years saw a visible dip in form, averaging 30.72 with only three centuries. He retired with 123 Tests, 8,230 runs, and just 770 runs shy of 10,000 in the format.
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With T20Is behind him and now Test cricket too, Kohli is expected to focus solely on ODIs. Whether he’ll get a fairytale finish in the 50-over format remains to be seen, but his presence continues to be vital to Indian cricket.
