Ravi Shastri's unfiltered take on Virat Kohli's retirement from Test cricket: 'It could have been handled better'. Watch video

Former India coach Ravi Shastri became emotional on Wednesday as he spoke about Virat Kohli’s retirement from Test cricket. Shastri, who worked closely with Kohli during a successful captaincy phase marked by several major series victories, said the star batter's exit could have been managed more thoughtfully.

Kohli, who made his Test debut against the West Indies in 2011, announced his retirement from the longest format ahead of the England tour. He finishes with 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85 from 123 Tests, including 30 centuries and 31 fifties, making him India’s fourth-highest run-scorer in the format.

Shastri's take on Kohli's test retirement

"Virat has announced his retirement from Test matches, which is sad, you know, because he's a great player. A great player. It's only when you go that people truly realise how big a player you were. Stats don’t do justice — it’s about the way he carried himself, especially as an ambassador for Test match cricket, particularly overseas. The way he played at Lord’s, and how his team turned things around — it was unreal. And I’m glad I was a part of it," Shastri said.

"I feel sad that he's gone the way he has — suddenly. I think it could have been handled better, maybe with more communication. If I had anything to do with it, I would’ve made him captain straight after Australia," he added.

'Not an easy decision'

While announcing his retirement last month, Kohli had said that the decision was not easy but it is right, adding that he has given everything he had in him to the longest format of the game.

Kohli made his Test debut against the West Indies in 2011, eventually becoming the skipper three years later. He represented India in 123 Test matches, scoring 9,230 runs, including 30 centuries and 31 half centuries. He had an average of 46.9 in the red-ball format.

The batting great has been India's most successful Test captain with 40 wins in 68 Tests that he led in. He led India to a historic Test series win in 2018-19 and drew a series in England in 2021-22. The Indian team remained unbeaten under his captaincy at home.

His last Test was in Australia (Sydney), in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, earlier this year, a game that the hosts won by six wickets, ending the series 3-1 in their favour.

In his 14-year Test career, Kohli went on to become the fourth-highest run-getter for India, behind Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sunil Gavaskar.

However, the 36-year-old has lately struggled for consistency, especially in his last tour to Australia. He hit just century and scored 190 runs in nine innings in his final series.