T20 World Cup 2021: "They were an extended part of our bigger family" - Virat Kohli on Ravi Shastri and his support staff
Team India captain Virat Kohli applauded departing head coach Ravi Shastri and his support staff. He praised them for the volume of work they have put in over the last couple of years to take Indian cricket to unprecedented heights.
For the unknown, Shastri's tenure as head coach of Team India has come to an end and the former all-rounder has decided to part ways. Following in Shastri's footsteps, the support staff including R Sridhar and Bharat Arun have also decided to step down from their respective roles.
Here are the major achievements of the Indian Cricket Team under Ravi Shastri 🙌
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Virat Kohli spoke highly about them for keeping the group together for the last couple of years. Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, the 33-year-old said:
"Big thank you to all those guys, they've done a tremendous job all these years keeping the group together. Great environment with them around, they were an extended part of our bigger family. They've contributed immensely to Indian cricket as well. A big thank you to all of them from all of us."
Under Ravi Shastri, India have dominated the circuit across the formats. Despite not winning an ICC title, Shastri will go down as one of the best coaches India have had.
Under Ravi Shastri, Virat Kohli & Co have won 118 matches across formats from 183 games with a win percentage of approximately 64.50.
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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has appointed Rahul Dravid as Shastri's replacement. Dravid will take charge of the team from the upcoming home series against New Zealand.
"I felt like its the right time to manage my workload" - Virat Kohli on stepping down as T20I captain
Here are Virat Kohli's records as the T20I captain of India 🇮🇳
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The talismanic cricketer has also decided to relinquish his leadership duties in the shortest format of the game after the T20 World Cup. Virat Kohli asserted that six to seven years of intense cricket takes a toll on the body and it was the right move.
"There's a relief firstly. It's been an honour, as I said before. Things have to be kept in the right perspective. I felt like its the right time to manage my workload. 6-7 years of intense cricket takes it out of you. It's been amazing and so much fun. I know we haven't gone forward in this World Cup but we have played some great cricket as a T20 side enjoyed playing together. That's been the hallmark for me and the guys have really made my work easier," Virat Kohli added.
Kohli was also quizzed about the possible lack of intent while playing the T20 format only as a player. On this, he stated that he would walk away from the sport if he feels he can't give his 100 percent.
"If I can't do that I will not play anymore. Even when I wasn't captain before I was always keen to see where the game is going. I'm not going to stand around and do nothing," he concluded.
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli will continue to lead India in the ODIs and Test format. He will return to captaining the side during the two-match Test series against New Zealand.