Getting Constant Feedback from Ravi Shastri Has Been the Biggest Help For Me, Says Virat Kohli

Indian National Cricket team skipper Virat Kohli has admitted that Test Cricket will stay relevant as long as India prioritise it. Speaking to Star Sports about his long-term plan, Kohli said his vision for India was domination in Test cricket and would like to give Test cricket the status it deserves. Virat Kohli recently became the first Indian captain to win a Test series at Australia as they beat the host 2-1 in the four-match series.

“I wouldn’t say goal but I would rather speak of a vision, which is for India to be a superpower in Test cricket or a very, very strong side in Test cricket in the years to come. I think if Indian cricket respects Test cricket, and Indian players respect Test cricket, then Test cricket will stay at the top because of the fan base that we have all over the world,” Kohli said.

“If we focus too much on shorter formats – yes, they’re important – but if we solely focus and look at them as an escape or an excuse to not be in the kind of situations that Test cricket presents to you, then I think there’ll start being a mental problem with the cricketers coming up,” he added.

Focus on all formats of the game

The top-ranked batsman, Virat Kohli has warned the youngsters will have mental problems if they don’t embrace the traditional form of five-day cricket.

“If we focus too much on shorter formats – yes, they’re important – but if we solely focus and look at them as an escape or an excuse to not be in the kind of situations that Test cricket presents to you, then I think there will start being a mental problem with the cricketers coming up,” Kohli said.

Ravi Shastri has always given me honest feedback

Virat Kohli took over the helm of the things after MS Dhoni decided to step down at the start of 2015 much to everybody’s surprise. Kohli credited Ravi Shastri for making his job easier.

“Ever since 2014, I think he’s (Shastri) one person who’s given me honest feedback whenever things required to be altered. I remember we sat down (last year). I’d scored a Test century and a fifty in the same game in England, so he called me and he said, as far as batting is concerned, I’m not going to discuss anything with you now because you’ve done some something which I am proud of and everyone is proud of.

But as a captain, I need to start thinking how to get the best out of this team and how to tactically be spot on. And that really hit me because I felt like, you know, there’s so much more to captaincy than you sometimes think,” he concluded.