The speculation around Virat Kohli’s reason to retire from Tests still hasn’t been laid to rest. Now, former Team India coach Ravi Shastri has added his version to the long story.

“His mind was very clear. He said he had given everything and has no regrets or doubts. I understood the time was right,” Shastri said, recalling an interaction with Kohli.

Shastri believes Kohli still had two or three years of Test cricket in him, but understood his state of mind only after speaking with him. “The mind told him that the body had given everything. In his mind he's very clear there are no regrets. Everyone would want to continue for a longer time but he knows he can contribute massively in the ODI game and franchise cricket. The reason why I believe he has no regrets is because he gave it his everything.”

Further decoding Kohli’s state of mind, Shastri said, “Virat has done everything, he's captained sides, he's won World Cups, he's won an U-19 World Cup. There is nothing for him to achieve. He's got runs around the globe.”

Speaking about Kohli’s impact on fans, Shastri added “Whether it's Australia or South Africa, there was a love-hate relationship. They would get angry because he had the ability to get under the skin of even the viewers. The way he celebrated, his intensity was such that it was like a rash that spread very quickly.”

According to Shastri, shouldering a lot of responsibility and staying at the peak for long has taken a toll on Kohli. “That much involvement, sometimes I would think there's going to be a burnout if he doesn't take rest, if he doesn't compartmentalise how much he wants to play across formats. It's happened now and he's pulled out of Test cricket, unfortunate because I still feel he could have played two years but then he's the boss. If his mind tells him that it's enough, it's enough.