Ravi Shastri has said that Virat Kohli has given his side of the story on his exit as India white-ball captain, and now BCCI president Sourav Ganguly needs to give his version.

Speaking at The Indian Express e.Adda, the former India head coach added that the captaincy change could have been handled better with “good communication.”

Days after Sourav Ganguly had said that he had personally told Virat Kohli not to give up the T20I captaincy, Kohli said that there had been no communication from the board once he had decided to relinquish leadership in the shortest format in September.

Regarding the ODI captaincy, Kohli said he had been informed that the selectors were removing him only 90 minutes before the selection committee meeting to pick the Test squad for the South Africa tour earlier this month. “With good communication, this can be handled better,” Ravi Shastri said. “Virat has given his side of the story. It needs the board president to give his side of the story. It’s not about who’s lying and who’s not. It’s not right to jump into there until you know what was the actual conversation.”

Shastri added that once Kohli had decided he did not want to continue as T20I captain, there could have been only one leader for the two white-ball formats, where Rohit Sharma has now taken over.

My statement made Ashwin do something different: Shastri

R Ashwin had said recently that he felt “absolutely crushed” when Shastri stated after the Sydney Test in January 2019 that Kuldeep Yadav was India’s No.1 overseas spinner.

Shastri responded that he was happy if his statement had been able to goad Ashwin into becoming fitter. “The way Ashwin bowled in 2019 and the way he has bowled in 2021 is chalk and cheese,” Shastri said. “If my statement on Kuldeep hurt Ashwin, I am glad I made that statement. It made him do something different. The message to Ashwin in 2018 was that he had to be fit. He has worked on that and look how he is bowling now. He’s world-class.”

Shastri backs IND’s ‘firepower & arsenal’ to match SA in ‘unconquered bastion’

Ravi Shastri backed Virat Kohli to do well in the upcoming Tests against South Africa, calling him an “impeccable leader”.

Shastri, who’s stint as coach came to an end following Team India’s exit from the T20 World Cup, said there couldn’t have been a better timing for Kohli and Co. to prove their mettle in South Africa, which remains “an unconquered bastion”.

Shastri while speaking to Star Sports said: “There couldn’t have been a better time for team India to prove their mettle. Virat has been an impeccable leader and has got a talented team to go along with it. South Africa remains an unconquered bastion.”

“Remember, the Proteas are no pushovers in their own backyard, but we have got the firepower and the arsenal to match that. As always, Team India will always have my backing,” he added.

India will look to seal their maiden Test series in South Africa as both the sides gear up for a three-match contest, starting from December 26 at the SuperSport Park, Centurion.

The second Test will take place from January 3-7, 2022, at the Wanderers, Johannesburg while the final Test will start from January 11-15, 2022, at the Newlands, Cape Town.

Following the conclusion of the Test series, the action will shift to limited overs as the first ODI is scheduled to be played on January 19, 2022, at the Boland Park, Paarl. The second ODI will take place on January 21, 2022, at the same venue, while the third and final encounter of the series will be held on January 23, 2022, at the Newlands, Cape Town.