Virat Kohli May Give Up India Captaincy In Other Formats Too, Says Ravi Shastri

Mumbai: Former India cricket head coach Ravi Shastri said that Virat Kohli may relinquish captaincy in other formats too after doing so in the shortest format of the game.

It may be recalled that Shastri’s tenure as the head coach ended with India’s early exit from T20 World Cup.

“In red ball cricket, India have been number one for the last five years under his captaincy. Unless, he wants to give it up or he is mentally fatigued where he says he wants to focus on my batting which can happen in the near future,” Shastri was quoted as saying by India Today.

“It won’t happen immediately but it can happen. The same might happen with white ball cricket, he might say he had enough and he focuses on Test captaincy. It is his mind and body that will make that decision. He won’t be the first.

“A lot of successful players have given up captaincy to focus on their batting for their side,” the former coach said. He also said that Kohli is still the fittest cricketer in the team by far.

“He is hungry for sure, fitter than anybody in the team. No doubt about that. When you are physically that fit, your longevity only increases. On the captaincy part of it, it will be his decision but I see if anything he might say no to white ball cricket but red ball, he should carry on because he has been the best ambassador for the Test cricket. That will make him carry on,” Shastri said.

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