With the upcoming Test at Lord’s looming, Ravi Shastri took a step back to relive one of India’s grittiest wins on English soil. Speaking to Sky Sports, the former India head coach unpacked the remarkable mindset that then-skipper Virat Kohli instilled in the squad during the tense final day of the 2021 Lord’s Test. India had been pegged back by pundits and press alike. England were favourites after Day 4. But Shastri said it was Kohli’s intensity—contained off the field, explosive on it—that transformed the match. He noted, “Off the field and on the field, (his personality) is like chalk and cheese. Off it, he is a mellow, chilled guy but on it, he is a beast. He is at you, he is at your throat, he’ll look you in the eye, and play hard cricket.” The dressing room lifted, Shastri said, after a gutsy 89-run ninth-wicket stand between Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah. That unexpected surge not only added vital runs but also ignited belief. Read also: Virat Kohli Attends Yuvraj’s Gala, Recalls Special Bond From Belief to Blowout: Kohli’s Grit, India’s Response Shastri revealed a critical moment that morning. “We had a chat in the morning (of Day 5) and all we said ‘try and get England to chase 170, and we’re winning this.’ We knew if we give them 170-180, we could win this game with the attack we had. We had an excellent attack.” England’s target was 272. India’s pace quartet—Bumrah, Siraj, Shami, and Ishant—bundled the hosts out for 120 in just 52 overs. Referring to the moment when Bumrah and Shami walked back after their stand, Shastri said, “It was COVID time, so the long room (at Lord’s) was empty. We made a corridor for them and welcomed them back.” Then came the turning point: “That’s when he said: Unleash hell.” India did. England folded. Kohli’s fire had become India’s fuel.