Ravi Shastri praised Virat Kohli, calling him the most significant cricket player of the last ten years. Shastri, a longtime pundit in Indian cricket and a former captain and coach of India, praised Kohli as a modern-day great.
Hours after Kohli declared his retirement from Test cricket, Shastri told Cricbuzz on Monday, May 12, “He belonged to a different class of cricketers – He has been the most influential cricketer of the last decade.” People regarded Shastri as Kohli’s guru, friend, and philosopher.

“I have a lot of special recollections, some of them are really intimate. He played cricket in a way that no other Indian or captain did. He is a true modern-day titan, as I stated in my social media post (on X, formerly Twitter),” Shastri added.
After the latter took charge of the Indian side during a Test series in Australia in 2014, Shastri and Kohli’s collaboration was one of the greatest coach-captain combinations in Indian cricket. Prior to Shastri’s departure from the squad in 2021, it was among the most prosperous professional associations. “He is a member of every class of outstanding cricket players. “Period,” he concluded.
They worked together for two years, from July 2017 to 2021, and also from 2014 to 2016. One of the highlights of their relationship was their run to the 2019 World Cup semifinals, where they had won the league stage. In 2018–19, they won the BGT series in Australia for the first time as an Asian team, and in 2020–21, they did so again when Kohli left early.
Test matches for three years in a row in 2017–2018–2019
Another notable event was India’s 5-1 victory in the ODI series in South Africa, which was their first bilateral series victory there following four previous unsuccessful efforts.
He previously took to his social media account to comment, “It’s unbelievable that you’re finished.” In every aspect you played and commanded, you were an outstanding representative of Test match cricket and a modern-day GIANT. I am especially grateful for the enduring memories you have bestowed upon me and everyone else. It is something I will always treasure. Well done, champion. May God bless you.
In 2021, Shastri last served as India’s coach during the Twenty20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. Additionally, it was Kohli’s final series as captain of the limited-overs team.
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