“He was ready to look ugly,” Ravi Shastri says, highlighting Virat Kohli’s commitment to raising his level of play

NEW DELHI: Renowned for his impactful teaching career, former India head coach Ravi Shastri recently discussed his thoughts on Virat Kohli’s development as a future leader and the shift from individual genius to team success.

In an interview with Michael Atherton, the former captain of England, Shastri called Kohli a “uncut diamond,” recognizing his natural leadership abilities and love of Test cricket.
“I saw an uncut diamond in Virat Kohli and I wanted to win and make Test cricket paramount,” Shastri said, bringing up his first conversations with the Indian skipper.
In keeping with Shastri’s coaching philosophy, he highlighted Kohli’s willingness to take on difficult tasks and his dedication to playing tough cricket.
“We let everything to run wild in the nets. Anyone might be bounced the crap out of you. Kohli was the first player to accept that; he was willing to seem unattractive in the nets, and his perspective shifted,” Shastri said, emphasizing Kohli’s commitment to developing his game.
In response to criticism over India’s portion of ICC earnings, Shastri offered a reasonable solution, recommending the distribution of monies to assist underprivileged cricketing countries while fostering the expansion of the game internationally.
He underlined how crucial it is to preserve the integrity of Test cricket and encourage fierce rivalry among elite nations.
Shastri was upbeat about the future of cricket forms going forward and said that T20 cricket may act as a catalyst for the game’s growth into new regions.
He envisioned a cricket model like to that of football, complete with a flourishing franchise circuit, in addition to cricket Test matches and the ICC World Cups, among nations that had the requisite facilities.