Had Shastri not become the coach; Kohli wouldn't have gone out of form: Ex-Pakistan cricketer

There has been an alarming dip in his performance over the past three years. Kohli has slammed a whopping 70 international centuries since his debut in 2008 for the Men in Blue. However, his last hundred in the Indian colours came in November 2019 against Bangladesh.

There has been a lot of discussion on the potential reasons behind Kohli's lean patch. Many pundits and former players have chipped in with advice that can rejuvenate the Indian star. 

Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif has now hit the headlines with a controversial statement.

The Pakistan veteran blamed former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri for Virat's below-average performance. Latif believes that making Shastri, the head coach has backfired as the Indian all-rounder had no business in coaching. The wicketkeeper directly blamed Shastri for Kohli's slump in form. 

"It is because of him (Ravi Shastri) that this has happened. In 2019, you sidelined a player like Kumble, and in came Ravi Shastri. Whether he had the accreditation or not, I have no idea. He was a broadcaster. Had no business in coaching,"

"Barring Virat Kohli, I am sure there would have been other people who played a role in getting Shastri in. But that is backfiring now, isn't it? Had he (Shastri) not become the coach, he (Kohli) wouldn't have gone out (of the form)," Rashid Latif said while speaking on the Youtube channel Caught Behind. 

Ravi Shastri was appointed India's head coach in 2017 after a fallout between former coach Anil Kumble and skipper Virat Kohli. It is believed that there was bad blood between Kumble and Kohli, which resulted in the former's exclusion from the Indian setup. 

Shastri will go down as one of the most successful Indian head coaches in the history books. The Indian cricket team reached incredible heights during his tenure. Under Ravi Shastri's leadership, the team won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy twice by defeating Australia in their backyard in 2019 and 2021. 

The team also leads the five-match away Test series against England by 2-1. The Men in Blue played in the World Test Championship's final and reached the semi-final during the 2019 World Cup.