"He was ready to get out there and punch him..." - Ravi Shastri shares unheard stories of Virat Kohli as India captain

Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri formed a formidable coach-captain combo for India from 2017-2021.

Virat Kohli introduced a fitness culture to the Indian squad during his tenure as the captain, according to former head coach Ravi Shastri. He even admitted that Kohli needs to be calmed down since he occasionally felt like punching his own players for being lazy.

He was ruthless and even cruel sometimes as a captain. Additionally, when the competition was intense, Kohli showed no mercy even to his own players, so forget about the opposition.

Ravi Shastri, ex-India coach, has seen his brutal methods more than anybody else, albeit for a more noble goal: the team’s progress. Indian cricket reached previously unheard-of heights thanks to Kohli and Shastri.

Since it signalled the beginning of a new age in which player fitness became the criterion for selection to the Indian squad, the Yo-Yo test’s acceptance is still discussed today. Every time a player was found to have fallen short of expectations, chaos ensued.

“He would show them up otherwise. Because if you’re running between the wickets, and if you’re a lazy bugger, you will soon find out. If you are looking for a second run, and if you’re panting, and if he’s looking for a third and you’re yet to complete the second, immediately the message would be, ‘Get to that bloody gym and start training, and get fitter,'” Shastri said on the LiSTNR Sport podcast.

Virat Kohli became India’s test captain in 2015 and white-ball captain in 2017 after MS Dhoni stepped down. He emphasized that the Indian team players are on fitness, leading to the side becoming one of the top teams in the world.

“He was ready to get out there and punch him”- Ravi Shastri said Virat Kohli had to be calmed down  

Even though the Indian side did not win any ICC tournaments under Virat Kohli, they accomplished other significant feats. India was the top-ranked team in the test format for five years in a row, earning them the ICC Test Mace. Among other things, he guided India to its first test series victory in Australia.

All of that would have been impossible without the fire in his eyes. When his own batters were removed for a mistake and the head coach had to step in, Shastri recalled earlier times when Kohli did not hesitate to take a punch at them.

“At times, I had to calm him down. If a wicket went down, he would jump out of his seat. I would say, ‘Calm down. Let him cross halfway at least. Don’t meet him when he’s just 10 yards away from the stumps, you know. Come near the boundary line, then cross him’. He was like a cat on a hot tin roof, ready to get out there and punch him. That’s Virat for you,” added Shastri.

For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.