Former India National Cricket Team skipper Sourav Ganguly backed Virat Kohli to come out good in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. He admitted that the batter is ageing but the right-hander will be hungry to score runs and help his team win in the five-match Test series.
Virat Kohli will be one of the key factors for the India National Cricket Team going into the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. Although the batter hasn’t scored runs of late, the kind of impact he has made over the years and has stepped up for his team in tough situations makes him a vital cog in the wheel for India.
Virat Kohli since 2020 hasn’t been at his best in Test cricket
Kohli, since 2020, hasn’t been at his best in Test cricket. The premier batter has an average of only 31 in Test cricket, scoring just two centuries in 60 innings. He also failed in the entire Test season at home and failed to score runs in two series against Bangladesh as well as the New Zealand National Cricket Team.
Virat Kohli scored just 93 runs against New Zealand, where he averaged only 15.50, his worst in a home contest in the last seven years. There even have been reports that if he fails to get going in the Test series against the Australia National Cricket Team, he might get dropped.
But the kind of player he has been and the way he has risen when under the pump makes him a dangerous player. Also, his record against Australia is something that will work in his favor, and he no doubt would want to silence all his critics with the bat in the upcoming series.
Virat Kohli has mustered 2042 runs from 25 Tests at an average of 47.48. He also has scored 8 centuries vs Australia, out of which 6 have come away from home, which indicates how much he enjoys playing against them, and his stats down under will be a massive boost for the India National Cricket Team.
I never rule out great players – Sourav Ganguly on Virat Kohli
Sourav Ganguly said that he never rules out great players like Virat Kohli. The former BCCI president admitted that the batter hasn’t been in great form and claimed that the right-hander will know that he will have to maintain his reputation. Speaking on Club Prairie Fire, he explained:
“I never rule out great players. He hasn’t had the best of times in Test cricket. He landed in Australia early. He’s hungry. He knows that he has a reputation to keep. He will be playing on good pitches. He has six Test hundreds in Australia in 13 Tests. Yes, it was 4-5 years back, and that was a young Virat Kohli. He is ageing now.”
I’ve seen Rahul Dravid, he did not have an overseas hundred between 2007 to 2011 – Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly, while backing Virat Kohli, cited the example of how Rahul Dravid didn’t score an overseas hundred between 2007 to 2011 but went on to hit three tons during the England tour. He revealed how Dravid had believed in him. He elaborated:
“I’ve seen Rahul Dravid. He did not have an overseas hundred between 2007 to 2011, then he went to England. I met him one day at Lord’s. I had finished a year back, and I was commentating. I asked him how long he was going to play, and he said that he still believed he could do it and keep scoring runs. He got four (three) Test hundreds in four matches in that series in 2011. And remember, he opened in that series,” he concluded.
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