Ravi Shastri Explains Virat Kohli's Test Retirement: "Would've Been Good To Hand Him Captaincy"

One of the finest servants of Indian cricket, Virat Kohli, stepped away from Tests ahead of the tour of England, leaving the sporting world in shock. Seeing the man who got fans into the stadium, lifted the spirits of a dying format, questions were raised across the cricketing spectrum, with fans and pundits wondering asking why he had to take such a step. Former India coach Ravi Shastri, who worked with Virat from closed quarters and developed a bond that hardly any captain-coach did in Indian cricket history, shared insights into the batter's mindset that probably led to the big call.

In is column for Sportstar, Shastri wrote that Virat had two years of Test cricket left in him and should've ideally been given the team's captaincy for the England tour. The former India coach also listed potential factors that 'drove Virat away' from Test cricket.

"I am sure Virat still had two years of Test cricket left in him. I would have loved to see him in England this summer. It would have been a good idea to hand him the captaincy for the tour, but he would know best why he decided to leave. Maybe mental fatigue drove him to decide because he was as fit as any other player on the team," Shastri wrote.

"He knew his body best, but the mind would have played the decisive role. I will not rule out burnout as the decisive factor in curtailing his career at a critical phase of Indian cricket," he added.

Shastri also called Kohli the 'most influential cricketer of the last decade', who touched not just his fans and teammates but also his opponents.

"For me, Virat will remain the most influential cricketer of the last decade. He had fans worldwide, especially those who turned up at Test matches to watch him bat like no one else. A