Kohli, Tendulkar Or Gavaskar? Shastri Gives Big Verdict On 'Comparisons'

The world of cricket has been grieving Virat Kohli‘s shock Test retirement. India’s greatest ever red-ball captain, with 40 wins from a possible 68, Kohli finished his career as the fourth highest run-getter for the country with 9,230 runs in 123 Tests at an average of 46.85. Ravi Shastri, who closely followed Kohli’s growth during his stint as head coach of the Indian team, has labelled the 36-year-old as the most influencial cricketer of the last decade or so. On Kohli’s comparisons with Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar, Shastri played down the talks, but insisted that the Delhi-born batter “rewired how India played cricket”.

“I don’t like comparisons. I’ve been asked about Gavaskar and Tendulkar. I was lucky enough to share the dressing room with them. But I saw Virat from a different vantage – not just from the comfort of the broadcaster’s box, but through the suffocating pressure that only a dressing room can know. I saw him walk out not to play cricket, but to command it. To own the battlefield. In doing so, he didn’t just win games; he rewired how India played cricket,” Shastri told Sportstar.

Shastri forged a strong partnership with Kohli during their time together as head coach and captain between 2017 and 2021. India were top of the Test pinnacle for roughly 3.5 years (around 42 months) and Shastri credited Kohli’s batting and captaincy was the binding factor behind the dominance.

“It was exciting plotting those Test victories. His batting form was paramount to the cause, but it was not just about coaching, making runs or taking wickets. Credit should be given to the magnificent work by the support staff, which made India the best fielding side in the world. It was collective, but Virat’s positivity was critical to India’s success. It was unreal the way he took on the responsibility of thinking for every member of the team,” he added.

For the record, Kohli made 2,994 runs in 41 Tests at an average of 44.03 between 2011 to 2015, with 11 centuries and 12 fifties in 72 innings.

Between 2016 to 2019, Virat had one of the strongest batting primes ever for a Test cricketer, piling up 4,208 runs in 43 Tests at an average of 66.79, with 16 centuries and 10 fifties in 69 innings and the best score of 254*. This also included seven double centuries, most by a captain in Test cricket history.

However, since the turn of the decade, Kohli only managed 2,028 runs in 39 Tests at an underwhelming average of 30.72.