CRICKET POLL

Ravi Shastri heaped high praise on Virat Kohli, calling him the most influential cricketer of the past decade. The former India captain, coach and a long-standing voice in Indian cricket as a commentator, Shastri also hailed Kohli as a modern-day great.

"He belonged to a different class of cricketers - He has been the most influential cricketer of the last decade," Shastri told Cricbuzz on Monday (May 12), hours after Kohli announced retirement from Test cricket. Shastri was known as a friend, philosopher, guide and mentor of Kohli.

"There are many unforgettable memories, some which are immensely personal to me. He played a brand of cricket associated with no other Indian or captain. As I wrote in my social media post (on X, formerly Twitter), he is truly a modern-day giant," Shastri said.

Shastri and Kohli's partnership was one of the best coach-captain equations in Indian cricket after the latter took over the reins of the Indian team, in the middle of a Test series in 2014 in Australia. It was one of the most successful professional associations before Shastri left the team in 2021. "He's one who belongs to all class of great cricketers. Period," he signed off.

Their association spanned two periods - one from 2014 to 2016 and later from July 2017 to 2021. Reaching the semifinal of the 2019 World Cup, where the team had topped the league stage, was a high point of their association. They won the BGT series back-to-back in Australia - in 2018/19 (the first Test series win for an Asian side Down Under) and then again in 2020/21 (Kohli had departed early).

India also remained No. 1 in Tests for three consecutive years - in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Another highlight was India's 5-1 ODI series win in South Africa, their first bilateral ODI series win in the country, after four failed attempts previously.

Earlier, he had posted a comment on his social media handle stating, "Can't believe you are done. You are a modern-day GIANT and were a fantastic ambassador for Test match cricket in every way you played and captained. Thank you for the lasting memories you've given to everyone, and to me in particular. It's something I will cherish for life. Go well, champ. God bless."

Shastri last coached India during the Twenty20 World Cup in UAE in 2021. It also happened to be Kohli's last series as a limited-overs captain.