Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly has rated Virat Kohli as the greatest white-ball player the world has seen. There has been a lot of pressure on Kohli after he could only manage 190 runs in five Test matches against Australia.
Many experts also feel that Kohli should retire from the red-ball version but Ganguly said a lot of cricket is left in him. Kohli has a great record in the 50-over version as he has scored 13906 runs in 295 matches at an impressive average of 58.18.
The right-hander scored 4188 runs in 125 T20I matches at an average of 48.7 before retiring from the shortest format of the game. Meanwhile, in nine innings on the Australian tour, Kohli was dismissed caught behind on eight occasions.
Sourav Ganguly said on RevSportz, “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.”
Ganguly said he would be worried about Kohli’s form for the England tour but feels he should be fine for the Champions Trophy.
“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 will begin their Champions Trophy campaign against Bangladesh in Dubai on February 20.
