"It's his mind and body that will make the decision"- Ravi Shastri on Virat Kohli relinquishing ODI & Test captaincy
Former India men's head coach Ravi Shastri has hinted at Virat Kohli giving up the ODI captaincy in the near future to focus on leading the country in the red-ball format.
Asked if the time had come for Virat to pass the leadership baton in all three formats, Shastri opined that Virat deserves to captain the Test team for as long as he wants. He, however, added that the 33-year-old may quit the ODI captaincy in the near future due to fatigue.
"In red ball cricket, India has been the number 1 team for the last five years under his captaincy. So, unless he wants to give it up or he is mentally fatigued, which can happen in the near future, it won't happen immediately. The same might happen with ODI cricket, he might say I want to focus on Test captaincy. It's his mind and body that will make the decision," Shastri said in an interview to India Today.
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Kohli has already relinquished the T20I captaincy, and post India's group-stage exit from the T20 World Cup, murmurs are rife that he may let go of the ODI leadership as well in the coming days.
"He deserves his due as a captain" - Ravi Shastri on Virat Kohli
Virat may not have won a senior ICC title as skipper but his impact across all formats as a leader, especially in Test cricket, cannot be understated.
Under Kohli-Shastri's leadership, India rose from being No. 7 in Test rankings to the very top, with resounding wins away from home, including twin series wins in Australia.
Despite all the achievements, there have been a lot of stories in the media in recent times about players' "dissatisfaction" with Kohli's style of leadership in the longest format.
Shastri reckons Kohli has learned to ignore "planted crap", which will allow him to prolong his career.
"He deserves his due as a captain, what he has achieved is unreal. What he has got used to is that there will be things written which is just there to stir the pot. A sportsman's ability to ignore all that is what will make him play longer than he thinks. Ignorance is bliss. If he follows that and I think he is doing it, then he will not have a problem to play for another 6-7 years. Planted crap will always be there," he said.
He signed off by stating that Kohli's legacy as an all-time great is already sealed.
''No question about that (Kohli is an all-time great). Not many become great players in their lifetime and he became one three years ago. He is enjoying the success. If his body and mind get a break at some stage it will be very good," Shastri added.
The next 12 months could well see Virat enhance his legacy as Test skipper. A golden chance to win a maiden series in South Africa and the 5th Test in England galore, and it will be interesting to see how the 33-year-old responds to the challenge.