Follow UsFormer India captain Sourav Ganguly believes Virat Kohli is the greatest white-ball cricketer of all time, further adding that there is a lot of cricket left in him.
Kohli had a torrid tour of Australia recently, where he scored 190 runs in five Tests, including one ton in Perth. Despite this, Ganguly has no doubts over Kohli's white-ball future.
“Virat Kohli is a once-in-a-lifetime cricketer, like Jhulan [Goswami] is, like Mithali [Raj] is. To score 80 hundreds in international cricket is incredible," Ganguly said in Kolkata, according to a video on RevSportz.
"To me, he is the greatest white-ball player the world has seen. But I was really surprised by the way he batted in Australia after the hundred in Perth. He struggled before that here [in India], but I thought after the hundred in Perth, it would be a big series for him.
“But it happens. I think every player has his weaknesses and strengths, but what matters is how you adapt to your weaknesses as you play great cricket over a period of time. I still feel there is a lot of cricket left in Virat Kohli."
However, Ganguly warned Kohli of the fact that conditions might be more difficult in England, where India will play five Tests later this year, than it was in Australia, given its swing and seam-friendly conditions. Every single time Kohli was dismissed in Australia in the previous Test series, he was caught behind the wickets, either by the wicketkeeper or at the slip cordon.
"The tour of England will be a big challenge for him. I’m not too worried about his form in the Champions Trophy because he is the best white-ball player the world has seen in a long time. He will score runs in this tournament in these conditions," Ganguly said.
“But when it comes to red-ball cricket, on seaming and swinging pitches, they will need to bat better than they did in Australia. I’ve always said if you score 350-400 runs in the first innings of Test matches overseas, you put yourself in a position to win.
"If you are bowled out for less than 200, you are always fighting for survival. The reason they won in Perth was because they put 400-500 runs on the board."
Ganguly also believes India are favourites at the Champions Trophy but need to improve in Test cricket. “India is one of the contenders for the Champions Trophy, especially after the performances in the 50-overs and the T20 World Cup," Ganguly said at the felicitation ceremony of Bengal U-15 women players organised by the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB).
"But Test cricket is something they have to work on, especially when they go away from home… Come the red ball, come the seaming and swinging pitches, they’ll have to bat a bit better."
Speaking of Rohit Sharma, Ganguly has backed him to come good at the Champions Trophy, despite having a poor Test series against Australia, where he scored just 31 runs in three Tests.
“Rohit Sharma in white-ball cricket is phenomenal, you’ll see a different Rohit Sharma once the Champions Trophy starts," he said.
Kohli and Rohit will be seen in action next in the One-Day International (ODI) series against England, ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, starting on February 19.