Virat Kohli should have captained India in Birmingham Test in 2022, not Bumrah: Shastri

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has opined India should have asked Virat Kohli to lead in the Birmingham Test instead of Jasprit Bumrah when Rohit Sharma was not available after testing positive for covid-19.

When India toured England in 2022, they played the rescheduled fifth Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham. Since Rohit did not return with a negative report in time for the fifth Test, Bumrah became the first Indian fast bowler to captain in a Test since Kapil Dev.

However, Shastri said had he been with Team India, he would have asked former captain Kohli to take charge of that game, since he was at helm when the series took place in 2021 and India were 2-1 up when it got suspended abruptly due to covid.

"Once Rohit was injured, I thought he would be asked. If I was still there, I would have asked. I'm not sure Rahul (Dravid) would have done the same thing, I haven't spoken to him. I would have recommended to the board as it's only fair if he leads because he is part of the team that is leading 2-1 in the series," Shastri was quoted by ESPNCricinfo, as saying.

Kohli became India's Test captain after MS Dhoni retired from the longest format after the Melbourne Test against Australia back in 2014. Kohli captained India in the five-day format for seven years and stepped down after the three-match series against South Africa last year.

Under Kohli, India secured two back-to-back historic Test series victories Down Under. He remains India's most successful captain in Tests after he initially went past Dhoni's tally back in 2019 during the West Indies tour. Kohli was also the skipper when India finished as the runners-up of the WTC 2019-21 after losing to Kane Williamson's New Zealand in the final at Edgbaston in Birmingham.

India have once again qualified for the WTC final, which they will play against Australia at The Oval. The 2021-23 WTC final is scheduled to begin on June 7. Ahead of the big game, Shastri has advised Team India to keep Kohli as a captaincy option in case of "unforeseen circumstances."

"If it's for a major game like that, then yes. I mean, you want Rohit to be fit as he is the captain of the side. In case of unforeseen circumstances, definitely, I will look in that direction," added Shastri.

Ravi Shastri: Kohli is in much better mental space now

Shastri, who was India's head coach from 2017 to 2021, went on to add that Kohli is in a much better mental space than last year.

"That's the feeling I got as opposed to last year when we were discussing 'does he need a break?' He seemed to have the burden of the whole world on his shoulders. Now, he is refreshing. You feel that enthusiasm, and passion for the game.

"The energy and enjoyment has come back, which for me was the best thing to see. You might get runs or you may not, but when you see someone with the passion and drive, it's good, especially a player of his quality," Shastri stated.

In the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, Kohli also made a comeback as the captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) with regular skipper Faf du Plessis only playing as an impact player due to injury. Kohli has led RCB to two wins in their last three outings and the talented batter is also the second leading run-scorer this season, with 333 runs in eight games at an average of 47.57 and strike-rate of 142.31.