'End of an era': Fans remember golden moments of Kohli-Shastri partnership as it comes to end against Namibia

A journey that started as the Team Director, then a couple of tenures as a head coach, Ravi Shastri will be bidding adieu as in charge of the Indian cricket team in their final game of the Super 12 against Namibia in the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup. India can take no further part in the competition after the group stage as they were eliminated on Sunday since New Zealand defeated Afghanistan and qualified for the semi-finals.

The game against Namibia will also mark the final game for Virat Kohli as the captain of the T20I side, who announced in September that the T20 World Cup will be his last assignment. 

The Virat Kohli-Ravi Shastri partnership may have been bereft of an ICC trophy, however, the Indian team reached some newer heights under this combo and became the world-beaters at least in the Test matches and took giant strides in white-ball formats.

Under Ravi Shastri, India played a total of 183 games including 43 Test matches, 76 ODIs and 64 T20Is. Team India won 25 Tests with a winning percentage of 58, 51 ODIs with a winning percentage of 67 while coming up trumps in 42 T20Is with a winning percentage of 65.

India defeated Australia twice in their own backyard in two consecutive Test series in Shastri's tenure and the 2020/21 tour was not just a win, it was the test of India's patience, determination, courage and bench strength and they overcame all of it and breached the 'Gabbatoire'.

India also are 2-1 up in the five-match Test series against England winning at Oval and Lord's. The most important achievement or the legacy which Shastri will leave behind will be the pace battery India has formed with the likes of Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Bhuvneshwar Kumar among others, who have bundled out oppositions for fun and troubled their batters with some quality pace and seam bowling.

The recency of memory may suggest that there is a long way to go still in the white-ball formats with the approach and the personnel, but what Shastri and co have been able to achieve in the last five years or so has been remarkable.

Kohli, who has led India in 49 T20Is, winning 29 of them will be going out for the toss, one final time in the shortest format and will be hoping to end it on a high.

The fans, experts, journalists celebrated the Kohli-Shastri combo saying, it's the end of an era remembering some of the golden moments, hoping that under Rahul Dravid, India can break the drought of ICC trophy and reach greater heights. Here are some of the reactions:

Under Ravi Shastri as head coach, India pulled off the unexpected, winning 2 Test series in Australia & setting one up in England, had a 12-4 & 15-2 series win-loss ratio in ODIs & T20Is respectively but didn’t pull off what many expected of them, win an ICC event #T20WorldCup

— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) November 8, 2021

It takes a lot of guts for a coach to play a Test match with Navdeep Saini, T Natarajan, Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar as your frontline bowlers. @RaviShastriOfc didn't complnt. Kind of comebacks team has had, he deserves equal credit. 
u have had gr8 run#RaviShastri

— Kushan Sarkar (@kushansarkar) November 7, 2021

Last day of Ravi Shastri as Indian Coach pic.twitter.com/vhtnznp4vA

— keshav (@Blancos45_) November 8, 2021

Two hours remain before India begin their last match with Ravi Shastri, Bharat Arun, and team.

Thank you for the greatest Indian team of all time, for taking Indian cricket to unprecedented heights.

— Abhishek Mukherjee (@SachinAzharCT) (@ovshake42) November 8, 2021

At the end of today’s game @RaviShastriOfc & his Bharat Arun - will step down. What they’ve moulded the Indian Test Team into is awesome - 2xAus away, 1xEng away and domination at home! Thank you Ravi and Arun - you’ve both been as bright as the Sun that your names signify!

— PRAKASH WAKANKAR (@pakwakankar) November 8, 2021

As a 13 year old kid, seeing Brett lee and McGrath wreck havoc on indian batting lineup and do go down 0-3 haunted us for a long time...when in 2003 dravid hit that boundary of McGill at adelaide, to win the test was unthinkable and unheard...a series win was a distant dream...

— Gagan Chawla (@toecrushrzzz) November 7, 2021

Display of resilience to bat 35 overs by Vihari and Ashwin for a draw, to conquer Gabba after 33 years with a third string bowling line up...it was nothing short of miraculous...and at 35 years of age I managed to feel what conquering Australia felt like...add to that leading

— Gagan Chawla (@toecrushrzzz) November 7, 2021

As fans we expect and always ask for more...but it anyways shouldn't take away one bit from what india has achieved under you,it has become a formidable test touring side and world beaters!
History will always remember you and your contributions..world class pace attack was..

— Gagan Chawla (@toecrushrzzz) November 7, 2021

Thanks for realizing a dream that I had since 90's,to see Indian team with world class attack, to see us conquer Australia, to see us no longer lions at home and lambs abroad!

-an ardent indian cricket fan!
End of an era...
With foundation for future!@RaviShastriOfc @imVkohli

— Gagan Chawla (@toecrushrzzz) November 7, 2021

They might not have the ICC Trophies to show far, but they have transformed this Indian cricket, especially in Tests for good. Too many exhilarating memories associated with them. With Dravid taking over, one can only hope that it goes upwards from here.

— Sa Gomesh | ச கோமேஷ் (@theumpires_call) November 8, 2021

Today is Virat's last game as T20I captain but we are going to see him captaining in other formats.More than that it's last day at office for Ravi Shastri,B. Arun & R.Sridhar.Many of them trolled these trio in many occasions but they gave us lot to smile,to be happy.End of an era

— Gaurav Gawade (@AshTonisher88) November 8, 2021

I wouldn't include the WTC here. The one game loss is fine. Because what Kohli and Shastri have done in Test cricket is incredible.

While their win% in limited overs cricket is high too, that could be achieved by anyone who has India's resources and Bumrah.

— Alagappan Vijayakumar (@IndianMourinho) November 7, 2021

2 test series wins in Australia,
T20 series win vs END (home & away),
T20 series win vs WI (home & away)
T20 series win vs NZ (home & away)
ODI series win in NZ
T20 & ODI series win in SA
Leading 2-1 in tests in Eng

Some achievements under Kohli & Shastri. End of a good period.

— Gurkirat Singh Gill (@gurkiratsgill) November 7, 2021

End of an era! pic.twitter.com/5Dig3VbIBw

— Subhayan Chakraborty (@CricSubhayan) November 8, 2021