Former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Monday (January 20, 2025) refused to read much into Virat Kohli’s prolonged lean run and hailed the batting maestro as the “greatest white-ball player” and “once-in-a-lifetime cricketer”.

Kohli struck a second innings century in the opening Perth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but then managed only 85 runs in the next seven innings.

With seniors such as Kohli and skipper Rohit Sharma failing to deliver, India lost the series Down Under 1-3.

“Virat Kohli is a once-in-a-lifetime cricketer. To score 81 international centuries in a career is something unbelievable. For me, he’s probably the greatest white-ball player the world has seen,” Ganguly said during a Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB felicitation programme for the state’s players.

Reflecting on Kohli’s struggle after the Perth century, Ganguly said even he was surprised to see him not build on that hundred in the remainder of the series.

“I was really surprised the way he batted after getting a 100 in Perth. He struggled before that but I thought after the 100 in Perth, it’ll be a big series for him.

“But I think it happens. Every player has his weakness and strength. You know, there’s no player in the world, who will not have that. It’s how you adapt to your weaknesses as you play great bowlers over a period of time.”

With Kohli’s poor form being a topic of discussion, Ganguly expressed confidence and said he would be back at his best in the three-match ODI series against England and the ensuing Champions Trophy.

“He will score runs in this tournament in Indian conditions, and I still feel there’s a lot of cricket left in Virat Kohli, the tour of England will be a big challenge for him.

“I’m not too worried about his form in the Champions Trophy, because as I said, he’s probably the best white-ball player the world has seen for a long period of time.”

‘India are Champions Trophy contenders’

Ganguly further said India would be one of the contenders in the Champions Trophy, especially after their runner-up finish in the 2023 ODI World Cup and the T20 World Cup title triumph last year.

“I know India did not have a great series in Australia, but if you look at the last two World Cups, the T20 World Cup India won it unbeaten, and the 50-over World Cup India lost their final.

“So if you look at India’s performance in the last two World Cups, they’ve just lost one game, in almost about 20 of them. So, I think it’s a phenomenal white ball team. For me, they will be the favourites in the Champions Trophy.”

It will be a different Rohit come CT

Ganguly also backed struggling Indian skipper Rohit Sharma to return to his best in the Champions Trophy.

“Rohit Sharma in white-ball cricket is phenomenal, and you will see a different Rohit Sharma once the Champions Trophy starts. And as I said, they (India) will be one of the contenders in the tournament.” Ganguly, however, said India need to work on their Test cricket with their next series being in England in the coming summer.

“Come England in July, they’ll have to really work hard to play well there because the conditions are different. The red ball and the seaming, swinging pitches, they’ll have to bat a bit better than what they have done,” Ganguly said.

“I’ve always said that if you score 350 to 400 runs in first innings of Test matches away from home, you get yourself in a position to win Test matches.”

“Now if you’re getting out for less than 200, then you’re always fighting from behind. And the reason they won in Perth is because they got 400-500 runs on the board in second innings.”

Shami next best after Bumrah

Ganguly was also excited to see pacer Mohammed Shami back on his feet and fully fit after a long injury layoff.

“I’m happy to see Shami fit because I think he’s probably the best bowler after (Jasprit) Bumrah in the country.

“I know he’ll be a bit nervous because he’s playing cricket after a long time, especially with a knee injury, but the good thing is that he bowled a lot for Bengal in the domestic cricket, which is going to help him in the games to come,” he said.

Shami will return to international action in the series-opening T20I against England here on Wednesday.

Ganguly also supported the idea of Shami returning to Test cricket, stating, “He’s as good as anybody in the world. Shami and Bumrah bowling at two ends is different than Bumrah bowling from one end. Both players are vital to each other’s success in Test cricket.”

There has been a lot of criticism of Team India following their loss to Australia and Ganguly stressed the importance of focusing on performance and maintaining a strong mindset amid all the noise.

“There’s so much at stake with sport these days, and there will be negativity and opinions. As an athlete, you need to find a way to keep yourself out of it,” he advised.

After a long gap, Virat Kohli had a hundred in the first Test at Perth while skipper Rohit Sharma’s last came against England at Dharamshala in March last year. File photo
| Photo Credit: AFP

Late on Monday (December 30, 2024) the light dimmed on the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Seagulls descended on the turf, cleaning staff were busy removing the waste that a massive sporting contest tends to generate, and Australian cricketers lingered around, savouring their 184-run triumph against India in the fourth Test.

Marnus Labuschagne lay sprawled on the grass while a child scampered around him. There was laughter and giggles. If it was rainbow and sunshine for Pat Cummins and his men, there was sadness trailing the Indian unit. On two previous tours, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy was secured. This time around, the visitors are trailing 1-2, and hoping to draw level in the final Test commencing at Sydney on January 3.

Australia remains a tough opponent in its backyard, and this was evident on the concluding day of the fourth Test. India was cruising at 121 for three, and this after a middle session in which Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant stabilised the second innings.

Suddenly, violating his own self-imposed restraint against the previous 103 deliveries he faced, Pant launched a lofted shot off Travis Head and the ball just found an alert Mitchell Marsh near the ropes. It was the game’s tipping point. From 121 for four, India slid to 155 all out.

The beauty of Test cricket is that it also offers space for a stalemate. However, in these frenetic times of winning at all costs, a draw is seen as an aberration. But a draw was indeed possible for India and that hinged on Jaiswal and Pant stretching their fourth-wicket partnership. It was not to be. An old truism is that batters who are set need to cash in.

In 1984, following rush-of-blood shots by Kapil Dev and Sandeep Patil against England at Delhi, the selectors wielded the axe. It was obviously an extreme measure and one that will not find an echo in these days of letting a player reveal his natural vibe. Still, Pant has to find a method in his madness.

If youngsters like Jaiswal and Pant did the hard yards but slipped at the final hurdle, the middling performance of veterans like skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli derailed the team. In the past, a tour of Australia has forced a closure to pedigreed Indian stars. Dilip Vengsarkar felt this effect after the 1991-92 tour. It was the same for Rahul Dravid and V.V.S. Laxman following their 2011-12 visit.

Down Under, either legacies are built or retirements get hastened. After a long gap, Kohli had a hundred in the first Test at Perth while Rohit’s last came against England at Dharamshala in March last year. Their drought in Tests often gets camouflaged through their flamboyance in limited overs cricket. Having bowed out of T20Is, while still being in the mix for Tests and ODIs, the captain and his predecessor need to perform.

Sadly, the efforts of Jasprit Bumrah, Nitish Kumar and Washington Sundar in the fourth Test went in vain. It is time the batting clicks. K.L. Rahul has been an exception but he too could not prosper at the MCG. Runs on the board is a non-negotiable requirement and India’s willow-wielders have to respect that. There may be speculation about the selectors’ cold-tap on the shoulder, but for now Sydney awaits.

Virat Kohli should not be judged on the basis of his current form, says legendary Australian player Ricky Ponting
| Photo Credit: PTI

Indian batting stalwart Virat Kohli should not be judged on the basis of his current form and the champion cricketer could make a powerful statement during the upcoming five-Test Border-Gavaskar series given his class, feels legendary Australian player Ricky Ponting.

The much-awaited series against Pat Cummins’ Australia will commence in Perth on November 22 and Kohli, as always, will be a vital cog in India’s scheme of things if they are to retain the prestigious trophy.

India’s famed legacy in Test cricket at home was torn to shreds during their 0-3 decimation by New Zealand recently, with Kohli scoring just 93 runs in six innings.

But Ponting, the former Australian skipper, said he had full faith in Kohli’s fighting abilities.

“I’ve said it before about Virat — you don’t ever question the greats of the game. There’s no doubt he’s a great of the game,” Ponting told ICC.

Kohli scored 93 runs in three Tests against the Black Caps, scoring a half-century and averaging 15.50 runs.

The 36-year-old Kohli was averaging 50-plus runs between 2016-19, but his average has dipped to 31.68. “However,” Ponting said “playing against Australia brings the best out of the Indian stalwart.”

“He loves playing against Australia. In fact, I know he loves playing against Australia. And his record (in Australia) is very good.” Ponting believes the Border-Gavaskar series could see the revival of Kohli’s Test career.

“If there’s a time for him to turn it around, it’d be this series. So, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Virat make runs in the first game.” Since the beginning of this year, Kohli has averaged just 22.72 in six Tests — the lowest in the format for him in a year since his debut in 2011.

He has slipped in the ICC Test rankings as well, moving out of the top-20 list for the first time in 10 years, and Ponting does feel it is a matter of concern.

“I saw a stat the other day about Virat; it said he’s only scored two (three) Test hundreds in the last five years. That didn’t seem right to me, but if that is right, then that is, I mean, that’s a concern.”

“There wouldn’t be anyone else probably even playing international cricket as a top-order batsman that’s only scored two Test match hundreds in five years.”

Indian batters’ skills against spin are not the same. India suffered a shock whitewash for the first time at home when they lost to New Zealand recently. It was also the hosts’ first Test-series loss at home in 12 years.

Ponting feels that the Indians’ vulnerability against spin cost them the series.

“I think the one thing it (whitewash) does probably say is it’s really starting to highlight India’s vulnerability against good quality spin bowling,” he said.

“It seems as though the skill of the modern Indian batsmen of playing spin is probably not what it used to be.”

Ponting added that the change in the nature of Indian pitches, which have become more favourable to pacers lately, could be responsible for the loss.

He also highlighted that the Indian batters’ tendency to go overboard with their aggressiveness, thanks to the IPL, could be one of the reasons for the debacle.

“Maybe because they’re playing on different wickets in India that are probably for the fast bowlers a bit more, maybe because there are more high-quality fast bowlers in India now that they’re not playing as much spin bowling as they did.”

“Maybe it’s the IPL or how much IPL cricket they’re playing that the younger players are learning the game that way rather than the way that players did 15 or 20 years ago,” Ponting concluded.

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli during the practice session in Chepauk. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar said that star batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli not featuring in the recently concluded Duleep Trophy was not good for Indian cricket and for themselves.

The Duleep Trophy concluded with India A winning the title. Various Indian international stars like Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav, played in the tournament. However, Rohit and Virat did not feature in the games.

When India played Bangladesh in the first Test at Chennai, which marked Rohit’s first Test in five months and Virat’s first in eight months, the ring rust in both players was evident as they failed to muster big scores in the match.

Rohit scored five and six in both innings and Virat made poor scores of six and 17 across the innings. Speaking on ESPNCricinfo, Manjrekar said, “I am not worried, but I am sure somebody made a note of the fact that they would have been better off had they played some red-ball cricket. There was the option of picking them in the Duleep Trophy. So one has to be careful about treating certain players differently and do what is best for Indian cricket and for the player.”

“Virat and Rohit not playing (Duleep Trophy) was not good for Indian cricket, nor was it good for the two players. Had they played the Duleep Trophy and had some time in the red-ball cricket, things would have been different,” he added.

Manjrekar, however, backed both the stars to make a big comeback in the second Test. “They have the class and experience to make a comeback later in the series, and I do not see them, for that reason, not being in form,” he said.

India won the first Test by 280 runs, setting 515 runs to chase for Bangladesh and skittling them out for 234. Ravichandran Ashwin (113 and 6/88), Shubman Gill (119*), Rishabh Pant (109) and Jasprit Bumrah (4/50 and 1/24) starred in India’s victory.

The Indian team has decided to retain the same squad for the second Test, scheduled to start in Kanpur on September 27.