Virat Kohli felt it’s time to go from Indian Test team: Ravi Shastri reveals on shock retirement

Speaking to The ICC Review, Shastri revealed that Kohli had confided in him a week before the announcement and had made peace with the decision. “His mind was very clear,” said Shastri. “He had given everything. There were no regrets. The mind had told the body: it’s time to go.”

“There were one or two questions I asked, and that is a personal conversation,” he said. “But he made it very clear — there were no doubts. And that made me think: yes, the time is right.”

“When the team went out, it was as if he had to take all the wickets, all the catches, and make all the decisions,” Shastri said. “That’s not sustainable forever.”

Kohli’s stardom, Shastri added, came with its own pressures. “He has a bigger following than any other cricketer in the last decade,” he said. “Whether it was Australia or South Africa, people just watched when he played.”

That following, Shastri explained, created a complex dynamic. “It was a love-hate relationship. He could get under your skin. His celebrations, his intensity — it was like a rash. It spread. Not just in the dressing room, but in living rooms.”

“Virat surprised me,” he said. “I thought he had at least two-three years of Test cricket left. But when you’re mentally overcooked, that’s what tells the body. You might be the fittest guy around, but if you’re mentally done, the message is clear: that’s it.”

Together, Kohli and Shastri led India through one of its most dominant Test periods. Highlights included a maiden series win in Australia, back-to-back series triumphs in the West Indies, and a rare series win in Sri Lanka after 22 years. The team also held their own in South Africa and England — conditions that have historically challenged subcontinental sides.

Shastri believes Kohli walks away with nothing left to prove. “At times, when you quit the game, you think later, ‘I wish I had done this,’” he said. “But [Kohli] has done everything — led India, won an Under-19 World Cup, and played in all formats. There’s nothing left.”

From playing on the pitch to analysing it from the press box, Satish has spent over three decades living and breathing sport. A cricketer-turned-journalist, he has covered three Cricket World Cups, the 2025 Champions Trophy, countless IPL seasons, F1 races, horse racing classics, and tennis in Dubai. Cricket is his home ground, but he sees himself as an all-rounder - breaking stories, building pages, going live on podcasts, and interviewing legends across every corner of the sporting world. Satish started on the back pages, and earned his way to the front, now leading the sports team at Gulf News, where he has spent 25 years navigating the fast-evolving game of journalism. Whether it’s a Super-Over thriller or a behind-the-scenes story, he aims to bring insight, energy, and a fan’s heart to every piece. Because like sport, journalism is about showing up, learning every day, and giving it everything.

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