T20 World Cup 2021: Virat Kohli gives Ravi Shastri a warm goodbye hug after the latter bows out as India’s head coach

Ravi Shastri was appointed as Team India’s head coach in 2017 after Anil Kumble stepped down following an alleged spat with skipper Virat Kohli. Since then, India have managed to turn around their fortunes in international cricket. They went on to win a number of bilateral series overseas under Shastri’s tutelage. However, four years later, Shastri’s tenure at the helm has come to an end.

Shastri bowed out after India made an exit from the T20 World Cup 2021 before the semis. The Men in Blue won three matches in a row in the mega event, but couldn’t go beyond the Super 12. On Monday, November 8, India defeated Namibia by nine wickets at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

After the game, Kohli was seen giving Shastri a warm hug, showing how his presence meant the world to the Indian cricket team. The game against Namibia also happened to be Kohli’s last assignment as the skipper of the Indian T20I team.

We’ve really performed well as a team, says Virat Kohli

After bowing out as India’s T20I skipper, Kohli recalled his journey and showed gratitude. “Relief firstly (emotions). As I said it’s been an honour, but things have to be kept in the right perspective. This was the right time for me to manage my workload. It’s been six-seven years of intense cricket every time we take the field and it takes a lot out of you.

“It’s been great fun; great bunch of guys and we’ve really performed well as a team. I know we have not gone far in this World Cup, but we have had some good results in T20,” Kohli said at the presentation ceremony.

Shastri, on the other hand, thanked the Board of Control for Cricket in India for giving him the opportunity to serve as the head coach of the national team. Moreover, he extended special thanks to former BCCI president N Srinivasan for showing enough faith in him.

“There’s one man I would want to give special mention to. His name is N Srinivasan. He was the man who insisted that I do this job in 2014. In fact, I didn’t have the belief that I could do this job and he seemed to have more belief in my abilities than I had, and I hope I haven’t let him down,” Shastri said.