Ahead of the Lord’s Test between India and England this week, former India coach Ravi Shastri raved about the impact that Virat Kohli had on the team as captain when the two sides previously met in 2021.
India beat England by 151 runs on that occasion, with the fast-bowling lineup of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma skittling England’s batting within 52 overs on a dramatic final day.
Shastri spoke highly about Kohli setting the mindset of the team as captain. “Off the field and on the field, (his personality) is like chalk and cheese,” he said on Sky Sports. “Off it, he is a mellow, chilled guy but on it, he is a beast. He is at you, he is at your throat, he’ll look you in the eye, and play hard cricket.”
“We had a chat in the morning (of Day 5) and all we said ‘try and get England to chase 170, and we’re winning this.’ We knew if give them 170-180 (to chase) we could win this game with the attack we had. We had an excellent attack.”
Despite being written off by a large chunk of the British press, Shastri said the 89-run stand between tailenders Bumrah and Shami gave the team the belief, before Kohli led them out to victory.
“Every newspaper had England as favourites. I used to pick up the papers in the morning and on the bus, I read all of this,” he said. “We reach the ground and the last-wicket partnership adds another 100. That lifted the dressing room. It was COVID time, so the long room (at Lord’s) was empty. When Bumrah and Shami came back, we made a corridor for them and welcomed them back. There and then, I knew Kohli is going to tell them something when they go out into the huddle.”
“That’s when he said: Unleash hell,” Shastri added.
