Former Team India head coach Ravi Shastri has suggested that Virat Kohli can play the next three-four years as a gun player if he takes a break from a series for two or three months.
Kohli had stepped down as the Test skipper after India suffered a Test series loss against South Africa. He holds the record for most Test appearances as India Test captain (68) and he also holds the record for most Test wins by an Indian captain (40). Shastri wants Kohli to calm down and focus on his batting. He feels the former India skipper has five years of “good” cricket left in him.
“He realizes he is 33, he realizes he has five years of good cricket ahead of him. If he can calm down, focus on his batting, take one game at a time, probably take a break from the game as well. I think if he sits out for two or three months or takes a break for a series, it would do him a world of good,” Shastri told Shoaib Akhtar on the former Pakistan pacer’s YouTube channel.
“To come back and play those three-four years as king, absolute king. You know where he is clear mentally, knows exactly what his job and role are, and then plays as a team player, that’s where I want to see Virat Kohli now. To come, contribute big time as a team player and help the team win,” he added.
Kohli had first led the side in Test cricket in 2014 against Australia. His last game as captain was the Cape Town Test in South Africa, which India lost by seven wickets.
Filling the shoes of MS Dhoni was not going to be easy, but Kohli took leadership by storm, and quickly, he cemented himself as one of the best thinkers the country has seen in Test cricket.
The leadership also brought out the best in Kohli and it saw the batter registering seven double-centuries in the longest format of the game. Kohli also holds the record for scoring most Test centuries (20) as India captain.