Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly has put his weight behind talismanic batter Virat Kohli to return to his best form in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar series against Australia. The former Indian skipper is under the pump for his mundane form and he is going to hold the key in the upcoming high-octane series.
Kohli scored only 93 runs in three Test matches against New Zealand at an average of 15.50 whereas he amassed 99 runs in two Test matches against Bangladesh at 33.
However, Kohli has always found success while playing against Australia. The right-hander has scored 2042 runs in 25 Test matches against the Aussies at an average of 47.48, including eight centuries. Kohli has even better numbers while playing on Australian soil as he has scored 1352 runs in 13 Test matches at an impressive average of 54.08, including six centuries.
Sourav Ganguly said in an interview with RevSportz, “Absolutely, he is a champion batter. And he has had success in Australia in the past. He scored four hundreds in 2014, scored a hundred in 2018 as well. He will want to make this series count, and he will also know this could be the last time he is touring Australia to play Test cricket. So, in every sense, this is a massive series for Kohli.
Ganguly feels the home pitches against New Zealand were difficult for batting. In the opening Test at Bengaluru, there was a lot of swing and seam on offer on the first day whereas the ball turned square in the next two Test matches.
“I don’t want to read too much into the New Zealand series. The pitches did not allow good batting. In Australia, he will enjoy the conditions. There will be good pitches. I am backing Virat to deliver in Australia in this series,” the 52-year-old went on to add.
On the other hand, the Prince of Kolkata, as Ganguly is famously known, reckons Rishabh Pant is India’s second-best batter after King Kohli in Test cricket. The wicket-keeper bat has scored 624 runs in seven Test matches against Australia at an average of 62.40 and Ganguly said the left-hander is once again going to hold the key.
“His special ability. He still needs to evolve in white-ball cricket. But in red ball, he is just fantastic. Look at the innings he has played in England, Australia and South Africa, and you will know he is a generational talent in red-ball cricket. He is India’s next-best red-ball batter after Kohli, and could have a huge impact in the series,” Ganguly concluded.
The opening Test match between India and Australia will be played at Perth from November 22 onwards.
