Former Team India coach Ravi Shastri has called Virat Kohli a "beast" on the field and termed current white-ball captain Rohit Sharma as laid back, according to ndtv.com.

But Shastri added Kohli is totally opposite when he is not playing the game elaborating the challenge for Kohli "is now to maintain the same energy when he is playing as a player and not as the captain of Team India."

"Virat is like a beast on the field. He is a terrier. Once he enters the ground, he wants to compete and is not worried about anybody. He is in-your-face and passionate. Off the field, he is totally opposite," Shastri told Shoaib Akhtar on the former Pakistan pacer's YouTube channel.

"Now, Rohit is laid back. It was sometimes that you got the feeling that the game came too easy to him, till he realised that 'God has given me this gift and now let me also work harder and make the most of it'. And when in full flow, there are few batters who play like him," said Shastri.

On Kohli who stepped down from Test captaincy as well, Shastri added, "Absolutely calm, chilled... there is no issue with him. He is 33. He has been contributing as a captain. The challenge comes when you are not captain after a span of time. Then to still have the energy to play as a player, get runs, and help India win. If he does that, he would have completed a full circle."