Kohli, 36, came in for heavy criticism in the run-up to the Perth Test after scoring only 192 runs in his previous 10 innings and posting an average of 15.50 in India's three home test defeats by New Zealand.
Overcoming his recent lean patch in the longest format, Virat Kohli blazed his 30th Test ton and his first in Australia since 2018 on Day 3 of the opening Border-Gavaskar series Test in Perth.
India head into the first of five Tests against Australia on Friday in Perth on the back of their first home series loss in 12 years.
India won 2-1 against Australia on both of their last two Test tours, but suffered a 3-0 whitewash at home to New Zealand last month.
Shastri was referring to Kohli’s exceptional performances in Australia thus far - including a fighting Test ton in Adelaide in his first-ever Test tour in 2011/12, a staggering 692 runs at 86.50 from his four Tests during his second visit in 2014 and captaining India to their first-ever series win in the country in 2018/19 during which he scored an exceptional 123 in Perth.
India coach Gautam Gambhir on Monday backed "incredibly tough men" Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to prove their critics wrong and find form in Australia.
With Australia looming large, the form of 37-year-old Rohit and superstar batsman Kohli, 35, is of particular concern to Indian cricket fans.
Jadeja told reporters that "everything happened in 10 minutes", and the team "did not get time to react".
Through three World Cup titles, two World Test Championship (WTC) finals, and a 12-year Test series winning streak on home soil, Kohli and Sharma, often together, have been integral to every major Indian success of the last 17 years.
"The first time I met you in the Indian dressing room, you were pranked by other teammates into touching my feet. I couldn't stop laughing that day," Tendulkar wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Shreyas Iyer's blistering 105, which came off just 70 balls and was studded with four fours and eight sixes, provided the late fireworks for India's innings.
He did so on his former India team-mate's home ground, with batting great Tendulkar among those applauding at the Wankhede Stadium.
Tournament hosts India head into the knockout match having won all nine of their group game, with star man Virat Kohli the event's leading batsman with 594 runs and captain Rohit Sharma not far behind on 503.
Star batsman Virat Kohli on Sunday made an impact with the ball when he claimed his first one-day international wicket in nine years during the World Cup match against the Netherlands at Bengaluru.
Kohli remained unbeaten on 101 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata to equal Tendulkar, having played 175 innings less than he has.
“Words are not enough to praise Kohli," said Malik
South Africa coach Rob Walter insisted they could "turn the tables" if they meet India again in the World Cup despite a colossal 243-run defeat by the unbeaten hosts.
Virat Kohli marked his 35th birthday with his second century of the World Cup and Ravindra Jadeja claimed five wickets as India thumped South Africa by 243 runs in a contest featuring the top two teams in the tournament at the Eden Gardens on Sunday.
India's Virat Kohli said that it was a huge honour to equal childhood hero Sachin Tendulkar's ODI ton record after the 243-run win over South Africa at the Eden Gardens.
