“My answer is you have a guy ready” - When Ravi Shastri picked Virat Kohli as MS Dhoni’s successor
In 2016, former India head coach and all-rounder Ravi Shastri opined on who should succeed MS Dhoni as the all-format captain. Shastri, back then, was the team director before being the head coach of the side from 2017 to 2021.
While Kohli was still leading the Test side, Shastri suggested that the ace batter should succeed MS Dhoni in the white-ball formats too. Speaking to India Today Television about whether Kohli should lead the national side across formats, Shastri said:
"I definitely think so. You have to see where India is going to go three years down the line. There are no major events till about three years down the line when you are back with the World Cup. So, this is your best time to think and build."
Adding to the above comments, he said:
"India play hardly any one-day cricket if you see the next 18 months-two years, and the gaps between Tests and ODIs are massive. So, here's your time to look ahead and see what you can do with an Indian side all-round three years down the line. If I am the chairman of selectors, I would be thinking in that direction, no question about it"
While acknowledging that it would be a tough decision, the star broadcaster stated that it was important for the evolution of Indian cricket.
"It's a catch-22, it's a hard decision, but I would be thinking about it from now. The game has to evolve, hard decisions have to be taken, such is life. And nothing wrong in that, it is in the interest of Indian cricket. If you see down the line and you think Dhoni is still the best captain, keep him as captain. But the issue here is the breaks, and do you have a guy ready? My answer is you have a guy ready"
Virat Kohli went on to lead India across all formats from 2017 to 2022
Virat Kohli was appointed Test captain in 2014 after Mahendra Singh Dhoni retired from the longest format. He did a great job and, under his captaincy, the fast-bowling unit thrived across conditions, with India attaining the No. 1 ranking.
Kohli won 40 out of the 68 games he led India, becoming the fifth most successful Test captain behind Steve Waugh (41 wins), Ricky Ponting (48 wins) and Graeme Smith (53 wins)
After Mahendra Singh Dhoni stepped down from white-ball captaincy, Virat Kohli was handed over those reins too. He had a solid start as a captain, beating England in the ODI and the T20I series played in January 2017.
Virat Kohli led India in 213 matches across formats, winning 135 of them and boasting a win percentage of 58.82. He stepped down from T20I captaincy after a disappointing 2021 T20 World Cup before being removed as the ODI skipper. His last match as Test captain came in Cape Town in January 2022.