Ravi Shastri says Virat Kohli might give up captaincy in other formats apart from T20I

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has said that Virat Kohli might step down from captaincy in other formats apart from T20I. The Indian skipper had recently shared his decision to step down as captain from the IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore, as well as in the T20 format. In a recent chat with India Today, Ravi Shastri talked at length about Virat, his captaincy, and the mental and physical pressures in the game. Shastri mentioned that if Virat manages his workload, and ignores all that is written about him, he can continue playing for another six to seven years. However, he also added that he might give up captaincy in white ball cricket to focus more on his batting.

Ravi Shastri on Virat Kohli's captaincy:

When asked about Kohli stepping down as captain in other formats to manage his workload better, Shastri said, "In red ball cricket, India have been number one for the last five years under his captaincy. Unless he wants to give it up or he is mentally fatigued where he says he wants to focus on my batting which can happen in the near future. It won't happen immediately but it can happen. The same might happen with white ball cricket, he might say he had enough and he focuses on Test captaincy. It is his mind and body that will make that decision. He won't be the first. A lot of successful players have given up captaincy to focus on their batting for their side."

Shastri further added that Virat is fitter than anybody else on the team, and when one is fit it only increases one's longevity. Saying that captaincy is Virat's decision, Shastri remarked that if anything, Virat might say no to white ball cricket but should carry on with red ball as he has been the "best ambassador for Test cricket."

Ravi Shastri's tenure as head coach of the Indian Cricket team recently ended after an early exit from T20 World Cup.

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