"Greatest white-ball player the world has seen" - Sourav Ganguly hails senior Indian player, says 'lot of cricket left in him'
Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly has strongly backed Virat Kohli to score well in the upcoming months despite a dismal Australia tour. Labelling Kohli as "once-in-a-lifetime cricketer," Ganguly also called him the greatest white-ball player the world has witnessed.
The 36-year-old experienced his worst Test tour of Australia recently as he managed only 190 runs in five Tests at 23.75. Although he scored an unbeaten ton in the second innings in Perth, Kohli had nothing else to show for his trip as he fiddled with outside off-stump deliveries and lost his wicket in similar fashion on every occasion.
Speaking in a video for Revsportz in Kolkata, the 52-year-old compared Kohli to Jhulan Goswami and Mithali Raj. Recalling Kohli's struggles in Australia, Ganguly backed the star to learn from his mistakes and stated:
"Virat Kohli is a once-in-a-lifetime cricketer, like Jhulan is, like Mithali is. To score 80 hundreds in international cricket is incredible. 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."
The Delhi-born cricketer will be keen to bounce back in the upcoming ODI series against England, beginning on February 6. With the 2025 Champions Trophy also looming, the right-hander will be keen to get into a good rhythm.
"I’m not too worried about his form in the Champions Trophy" - Sourav Ganguly
Ganguly also reckons that the tour of England later this year where India play five Tests will be a massive challenge for him. The 113-Test veteran warned India against repeating the same mistakes they did in Australia.
"And 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. 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."
India haven't won a Test series in England since 2007.