“Once Rohit got injured, I thought Virat would take over the captaincy,” Shastri told ESPNcricinfo. Ravi and Raunak show. “If I was still there – I’m sure Rahul (Dravid) would have done the same thing, I haven’t spoken to him – I would have recommended to the board that it was appropriate that he take the lead because he was the captain of the team. He was leading the series 2-1 and probably got the best (from the team).”
Kohli is currently leading Royal Challengers Bangalore as the stand-in captain in IPL 2023 as Faf du Plessis is battling a rib injury, limiting his participation only as a batsman. Kohli has accepted the leadership again and insisted that it is “not something I am not used to”.
Shastri said Kohli looked “very calm” and “relaxed” in IPL 2023. He is currently second in the run charts behind Du Plessis.
“He is in very good shape and is enjoying his cricket,” Shastri said. “Unlike last year, I got the same feeling when we were sitting and discussing whether he needed a break, whether he didn’t need a break. It felt like he had the weight of the whole world on his shoulders.
“Now it’s refreshing. The enthusiasm, the passionate energy and the joy is back, which was the best thing for me to see. The race may or may not get you, but when you see someone, and the passion, The joy and drive comes back again, which is a good thing.”