Perhaps Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri were meant to be together. They were similar in character and behaviour, and when combined, they gave Team India a formidable presence. It all started when Anil Kumble and Virat Kohli fell out during the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy. At that time, rumours began to circulate that Kumble was dissatisfied with Kohli’s choice to bat second against Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy final, which India ultimately lost. But after the Kohli-Kumble scandal was resolved, Kohli and Shastri formed a new team, winning India’s Test matches in South Africa, Australia, and England. Former Pakistani spinner Danish Kaneria offered an intriguing perspective when asked about Kohli’s captaincy, suggesting that the decline in Kohli’s leadership may have been related to new coach Rahul Dravid.
Virat kohli went very well with coach ravi shastri
“Virat kohli went very well with coach ravi shastri and he had a very good bonding with him. He(Shastri) used to back him. But now after the developments of Sourav Gangly who came in and then Rahul Dravid coming from NCA, he didn’t had a very good time,” He said this in an exclusive interview with News 18 Cricketnext show. “Anil Kumble was one of the finest spinners of India. He performed at the highest levels, but he didn’t had good ties with Kohli.”
“Both Kumble and Dravid are from Bangalore, south of India, and both are like high-structured cricketers. They are like pretty big big guns and Rahul Dravid has done so well for Team India. He got under-19 cricketers winning tournaments for Team India. But he was not going that well with Virat Kohli because Virat Kohli is like; ‘If I want to do it, I will do it”. The captaincy of Team India has changed with Rohit Sharma taking the helm, he continued. Sharma, he said, was more composed than Kohli. “Rohit Sharma was a bit calm, winning five championships for Mumbai Indians”. He did, however, add that he doesn’t believe Virat Kohli’s leadership was mostly to blame for India’s defeat in the T20 World Cup 2021’s opening round.