Former India head coach Ravi Shastri says: Virat Kohli After doing so in the T20 edition to deal with the intense job pressure, he may step down from captaincy in other formats, especially in the post-COVID times.
Shastri’s stint with the Indian team ended with an early exit from the T20 World Cup. Kohli, who has rested for the T20I series and one Test against New Zealand to cure bubble fatigue in the COVID times, has stepped down from the captaincy in the shortest format after the showpiece event.
talking to India Today, Shastri was asked about Kohli giving up the captaincy in other formats to better manage his workload.
“In red ball cricket, India has been number one for the last five years under his captaincy. Unless, he doesn’t want to skip it or he is mentally exhausted where he says he wants to focus on my batting which may happen in near future.
“It won’t happen immediately but it can happen. The same thing can happen with white ball cricket, he can say that he has had enough and he concentrates on Test captaincy. It is his mind and body that is there. He will decide. He will not be the first.
“Many successful players have given up captaincy to focus on their batting for their team.”
Shastri said that Kohli is by far the fittest cricketer in the team.
“He is definitely hungry, more fit than anyone in the team. No doubt about him. When you are physically fit, your longevity only increases. In terms of captaincy, it will be his decision.” But I see that if he can say no to white ball cricket but red ball, then he should go ahead as he has been the best ambassador of Test cricket. That will move him forward,” Shastri said.
Shastri has also included several players in the team, with Kohli taking long breaks to recover from bubble fatigue.
He also spoke on the relevance of the divided captaincy in the COVID times.
“Especially, in times like these it will reduce the pressure on the individual. Many players will take breaks. I think a lot of dramas want breaks and rightly so. You have to be away from the game from time to time.”
Shastri reiterates that playing right after the World Cup IPL Wasn’t ideal for the team but didn’t want to blame BCCI as the re-scheduling happened due to COVID-19.
“I would not say so, but because the IPL was canceled in April, they had no choice. But I don’t think that will happen in future. Kapil is right about the scheduling part as it will take its toll,” he said when asked to comment on Kapil Dev’s statement on players prioritizing IPL over the country.
“It is not just BCCI, every board has to be careful on scheduling. Don’t forget, we play more cricket than any other team in the world, if you add the IPL.”
New Zealand and Australia will face each other in the final on Sunday.
“The teams that are playing in the final on Sunday have played hard in the last 6 months and you can see the difference. He has played a lot to keep himself sharp but he has got enough rest, sometimes even forced.”
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