Thread by @KShriniwasRao

Ravi Shastri -- on the first time he got to know Virat Kohli & relationship began to build. (small thread).

I found in Virat the guy with character, game and personality to step into MS’s shoes. He was reeling from that tour of England (2014-15) because he hardly got runs. (1/8)

Virat was in a state of shock the way things had panned out in England. But you could see there was still enough there to get him going. Once he was back on his feet, there would be no looking back. (2/8)

I began watching him very closely. The more closely I saw him, I could see his sense of confidence returning back with each day. Those initial two-three months went in getting to know the team better. (3/8)

We began talking a lot, on various issues – batting techniques, the path forward, lot of things. And I think, it really came to the surface in Australia, when he finally bought into everything we discussed. (4/8)

You could see in him the talent was phenomenal but it is the hunger in Virat that made you sit up and take immediate note. He was absolutely ready to walk that talk – not just in the way he played his game but the way we wanted the team to play. (5/8)

What was that way? A very aggressive style of cricket, in your face cricket, where you were never out there to please others. The whole focus was to do whatever it takes, do whatever is right, within the laws of the game, to win. (6/8)

He set the bar really high on that tour, got four centuries and a fifty. We lost that series 2-0 but I still remember Alan Border walking up to me at the end of the series in Sydney and said.... (7/8)

“Rav, well done man. Not many teams bat out the last day to save Test matches at the colosseums, which is Melbourne and Sydney".

That summed it up. It was the beginning of a friendship between a coach and captain. (8/8)