Former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly threw his weight behind Virat Kohli ahead of upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. While acknowledging Kohli's advancing age, Ganguly believes that the right-handed batter will be motivated to score runs and contribute to India's success in the five-match Test series. Virat Kohli is undoubtedly a key player for the Indian team in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Despite recent struggles, his past performances and ability to deliver under pressure make him an indispensable asset for India.
Virat Kohli's dipping form in Tests
Since 2020, Virat Kohli's form in Test cricket has been below his usual standards. With an average of 31 and only two centuries in 60 innings, his performance has been a cause for concern. He struggled in the home Test season, failing to score runs against both Bangladesh and New Zealand. His recent performance against New Zealand, where he scored just 93 runs at an average of 15.50, was his worst home series performance in seven years. There have been speculations that a poor performance in the upcoming series against Australia could lead to his exclusion from the team.
However, Kohli's track record of performing under pressure and his exceptional record against Australia make him a formidable opponent. He has amassed 2042 runs in 25 Tests against Australia, averaging 47.48, including eight centuries, six of which have come in Australia. This strong performance history against Australia will undoubtedly boost India's confidence in the upcoming series.
Virat Kohli is hungry: Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly expressed his belief in Virat Kohli's ability to regain form. While acknowledging the batter's recent struggles, Ganguly said that Kohli's reputation and competitive spirit would drive him to perform. In an interview with Club Prairie Fire, Ganguly said:
“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."
Ganguly drew parallels between Virat Kohli's current situation and Rahul Dravid's form slump between 2007 and 2011. Despite a prolonged lean patch, Dravid regained form and scored three centuries on the England tour. Ganguly highlighted Dravid's unwavering belief in himself and his ability to overcome challenges.
“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.
