Former India head coach Ravi Shastri on Thursday showered praise on Virat Kohli, recalling the five years when India held the No. 1 spot in Test cricket under his captaincy and describing the former skipper’s domination across formats as “unreal.”
“He was the one man I identified who will lead the team, and I wanted him to lead the team. You know, once I took over the job and once Dhoni had finished and he did a magnificent job,” Shastri told Sky Cricket.
Explaining his call, Shastri said Kohli’s skills as a batter, ability to dominate and aggressive attitude made him the perfect candidate to lead the side.
“First, his skills as a batter, his ability to dominate, be in the face, play hard, but play fair and wanting to win and take the game forward. I would say Kohli, the batter in his pomp, was unbelievable because in those five years, when India were No. 1 in the red ball format, some of the innings he played in Australia, South Africa, England, across formats were unreal,” Shastri said.
The Kohli-Shastri era delivered some of India’s most iconic Test triumphs, including their maiden series win in Australia and back-to-back series victories in the West Indies. The team also competed fiercely in South Africa and England, holding its own in conditions traditionally challenging for subcontinental sides.
Kohli captained India in Tests from 2014 to 2022, winning 40 of 68 matches, the most by any Indian skipper. Only Steve Waugh (41), Ricky Ponting (48) and Graeme Smith (53) have more Test wins as captains globally.
His tenure featured India’s first away Border-Gavaskar Trophy triumph in 2018–19 and a flawless record at home, winning all 11 Test series he led. With the bat, Kohli excelled as captain, averaging 54.80 and scoring 5,864 runs, including a highest score of an unbeaten 254 against South Africa in Pune in 2019.
Earlier this year, the Delhi right-hander had announced his retirement from the longest format. The 36-year-old had already quit T20Is after India’s T20 World Cup triumph in 2024. He, however, has continued playing ODI cricket.