'Virat Kohli at his pomp across formats in those five years as captain was unreal': Ravi Shastri

Former India coach Ravi Shastri on Thursday has showered praise on Virat Kohli, saying the five years when India was number one in Test cricket under his captaincy, the former captain's domination across format was unreal. "I mean, he was the one man I identified who will lead the team, and I wanted him to lead the team," Shastri said on Sky Cricket. "You know, once I took over the job and once Dhoni had finished, and he did a magnificent job."I think his first skills as a batsman, his ability to dominate, you know, be in the face, play hard, but play fair, and wanting to win and take the game forward. "I would say Kohli, the batsman in his pomp was unbelievable, because in those five years when India were number one in the red ball format, some of the innings he played in Australia, South Africa, England, across formats, was unreal."Virat Kohli enjoyed a stellar run as India’s Test captain from 2014 to 2022, securing 40 wins in 68 matches — the most by any Indian skipper. Globally, only Steve Waugh (41), Ricky Ponting (48), and Graeme Smith (53) have more Test victories as captains.His tenure included India’s historic first away Border-Gavaskar Trophy triumph in 2018–19, and a flawless record at home, winning all 11 Test series he led.Kohli thrived with the bat as captain, averaging 54.80 and amassing 5,864 runs. His highest score in the role was an unbeaten 254 against South Africa in Pune in 2019.