New Delhi, Mar 24 (IANS): Former India coach Ravi Shastri said that relinquishing the captaincy may make Virat Kohli start playing more freely now and it might be a blessing in disguise for the prolific batting star.

Shastri, who worked closely with Kohli during his tenure as a team's head coach, suggested that giving up captaincy was a smart decision; however, he believes Kohli should have remained India's Test captain.

"I think [giving up captaincy] could be a blessing in disguise, to be honest. The pressures of captaincy off his shoulders, the expectations that come with being captain no longer there. He can go out, express himself, play freely, and I think he'll look to do just that," Shastri was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

"I think the most important thing is not to worry about his own performances, because he's done enough in world cricket for people to know where he stands. It's about him wanting to enjoy himself out there. I think that is the key. It's mind over matter, it's a case of telling yourself, 'I want to go there, express myself, and enjoy myself," he added.

Earlier Shastri had said that the IPL 2022 is an opportunity for many players to discover themselves as a future captain for the Indian cricket team. Shastri, however, lavished praise on the India skipper Rohit Sharma, saying he is doing a remarkably good job, but India will be looking at who will be captaining the team in the future.

"Virat has already relinquished his job. Rohit is an outstanding captain in white-ball cricket. But I think, this IPL India will be looking at who will be captaining the team (in future) -- there is Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul," Shastri said on Tuesday during a press conference organised by Star Sports, the official broadcaster of IPL 2022.