"Once Rohit was injured, I thought Virat would captain" - Ravi Shastri surprised at India's captaincy decision against England last year
Former India coach Ravi Shastri expressed his wish to see Virat Kohli captain India again should there be a need for it due to the absence of regular skipper Rohit Sharma.
Shastri's comments were directed at India handing the captaincy duties to Jasprit Bumrah when Rohit Sharma was unavailable for the rescheduled fifth and final test against England at Edgbaston in June of 2022.
Virat Kohli led India to a 2-1 lead after four games in the five-match Test series in England in 2021. However, a COVID-19 outbreak in the camp forced the postponement of the final test to June 2022.
Kohli stepped down from the Test captaincy in late 2021 following a disappointing tour of South Africa, leading to Rohit Sharma being appointed captain in all three formats.
Rohit was forced to miss the rescheduled final test against England in June last year as he did not recover completely from the COVID-19 virus, forcing India to appoint Jasprit Bumrah as the stand-in skipper.
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Shastri said:
"Once Rohit was injured, I thought Virat would captain. If I was still there - I'm sure Rahul [Dravid] might have done the same thing, I have not spoken to him - I would've recommended to the board that it's only fair he leads because he was captain of the team that was leading 2-1 in the series and probably could have got the best [out of the team]."
During his tenure as captain, Virat Kohli led India to 40 wins in 68 matches, becoming India's most successful test captain. He also led India to the World Test Championship (WTC) final in 2021.
The Kohli-Shastri partnership was instrumental in many of India's most famous overseas victories, including back-to-back Test series wins in Australia in 2018-19 and 2020-21.
"He's in a very good space, enjoying his cricket " - Ravi Shastri on former Indian skipper Virat Kohli
Former India coach Ravi Shastri spoke about Virat Kohli looking much more relaxed than a year ago. The former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain is second in the race for the Orange Cap behind skipper Faf du Plessis, scoring 333 runs at an average of 47.57 with a strike rate of 142.30.
Kohli has also been leading the franchise in the last few matches due to a rib injury to Faf du Plessis that's kept him as an Impact Player substitute.
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Ravi Shastri said:
"He's in a very good space, enjoying his cricket, That's the feeling I got as opposed to the last year when we were sitting and discussing does he need a break, does he not need a break. He seemed to have the burden of the whole world on his shoulders."
Shastri added:
"Now it's refreshing. the enthusiasm, passionate energy and enjoyment have come back, which for me was the best thing to see. Runs you might or might not get but when you see someone, and the passion, enjoyment and drive is back again, it's good."
Ravi also felt Rohit Sharma should lead the team in the upcoming WTC finals but insisted that Kohli should captain the side if needed. He continued:
"If it's for a major game like that, I want Rohit to be fit, he is the captain. But god forbid something happens under unforeseen circumstances, definitely, I'll look in that direction."
India will face Australia in the WTC final at the Oval in London from June 7 to 11.