Virat Kohli took over India’s Test captaincy in 2014-15 after MS Dhoni retired from the format midway through the Australia tour. He then became the all-format captain in 2017 when Dhoni stepped down from the role.
Shastri joined the Indian team as director of cricket in 2015 and became head coach in 2017, forging a strong coach-captain partnership with Kohli. Together, they guided India to the pinnacle of Test cricket while achieving success in limited-overs formats as well.
Under Virat Kohli leadership, India reached the knockouts of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, and the final of the inaugural ICC World Test Championship in 2021. India also maintained the No. 1 spot in the ICC Test rankings for five consecutive years under his captaincy.
“He did a remarkable job,” said Ravi Shastri, praising Virat Kohli as both a batsman and captain of the Indian team.
Kohli stepped down as India’s white-ball captain in 2021 and from the Test captaincy in 2022, following a disagreement with then BCCI President Sourav Ganguly. He retired from T20Is after India’s ICC T20 World Cup 2024 triumph and concluded his Test career in May 2025.
Under his leadership, Virat Kohli became India’s most successful Test captain, winning 40 of the 68 matches he led—13 more than the next-best, former skipper MS Dhoni.
“It was fantastic. He (Virat Kohli) was the one player I knew could lead the team, and I wanted him to take that role. After I took over and Dhoni stepped down, Kohli did a magnificent job,” Shastri told Sky Sports.
“First and foremost, his batting skills—his dominance, aggression, fairness, and hunger to win—were extraordinary. During his peak, especially in the five years when India was No.1 in the red-ball format, the innings he played in Australia, South Africa, England, and across formats were truly unreal,” Shastri added.
"He did a magnificent job" 🙌
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 14, 2025
Ravi Shastri on what it was like to be India coach whilst Virat Kohli was captain 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/b142Hmgg5i