Few have achieved what you have as captain: Shastri to Kohli

Former head coach Ravi Shastri hailed Virat Kohli as India's 'most aggressive and successful' captain after he stepped down as the Test skipper on Saturday.

"Virat, you can go with your head held high. Few have achieved what you have as captain. Definitely India's most aggressive and successful. Sad day for me personally as this is the team we built together," Shastri tweeted.

Kohli shocked Indian cricket as he abruptly resigning as the Test skipper, after seven years in charge. He is the most successful Indian Test captain with 40 wins in 68 matches, along with 17 defeats and 11 draws.

The 33-year-old, India's most successful Test captain, took to Twitter to announce his decision a day after India's 2-1 series defeat in South Africa.

"It's been seven years of hard work, toil and relentless perseverance everyday to take the team in the right direction. I've done the job with absolute honesty and left nothing out there," Kohli said in his statement.

"Everything has come to a halt at some stage and for me as test captain of India, it's now. There have been many ups and also some downs along the journey, but never has there been a lack of effort or lack of belief."

Shastri enjoyed a highly successful partnership with Kohli as their combination took India to the No 1 ranking in Test cricket,