Ravi Shastri declares Virat Kohli greater than Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar
Published - 19 May 2025, 06:00 PM
Former head coach Ravi Shastri hailed Virat Kohli for his incredible work ethic on the field and off the field. Shastri felt that Kohli was a terror for the opposition in cricket.
The Shastri and Kohli duo have been one of the best coach-captain duos in Indian cricket history. Shastri and Kohli both transformed Indian cricket to win any Test match in any venue.
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Ravi Shastri on Virat Kohli’s mindset
Shastri claimed that the work ethic of Kohli makes him the fittest player in the world and transformed the team into the best-performing team in the world.
According to Shastri, Kohli was always ready to guide his teammates as well as his opponents. Shastri witnessed the players of the opposition team approaching Kohli for guidance, and Kohli was eager to guide them also.
"Virat Kohli's work ethic was the most infectious trait that galvanised the team into World cricket's most performing and fit bunch. He was a terror for the opposition but a friend and guide for his teammates. I have seen players from the opposition approach him for guidance, and Virat was always eager to help. I have seen him part with some excellent bats because he was not an insecure competitor," he said as quoted by Sportstar.
Kohli rewrote the definition of aggressive cricket in Indian cricket history. Kohli’s aggressive nature made him stand out from other skippers in world cricket.
Ravi Shastri on Kohli’s comparison with Sachin and Gavaskar
Shastri didn’t like comparisons of players. Shastri played with Gavaskar and Sachin as well, but he felt there was something different in Kohli.
"I don't like comparisons. I've asked about Gavaskar and Tendulkar. I was lucky enough to share a dressing room with them. But I saw Virat Kohli from a different vantage, I saw him walk out not to play cricket, but to command it. To own the battlefield. He didn't just win games, he rewired how India played cricket," he added.
Kohli just doesn’t enter the ground to play cricket; he wants to dominate the opposition, and his unique style of play makes him the standout skipper in Indian cricket.
Ravi Shastri - Virat Kohli achievement
Shastri-Kohli’s major achievement in their era was winning the first Test series in Australia in 2018-19. India became the first Asian side to win a Test series in Australia in cricket history.
India qualified for the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship (WTC) final in 2021 under the Shastri-Kohli era.
Men in Blue were in the top position at the Test rankings for a straight 42 months under the duo from 2016 to 2020.
India whitewashed West Indies in a Test series in the Caribbean conditions for the first time in history under Shastri-Kohli.
