Virat Kohli is all set to join an exclusive club as he will become the 12th player to represent India in 100 Test matches when India will take on Sri Lanka in the first test match at Mohali starting on Friday. The past few months haven’t been great for him as he left all his captaincy responsibilities one by one and his relations with BCCI turned out bitter when he publicly showed disagreements with the BCCI’s decision to sack him as an ODI captain.
However, ahead of his landmark 100th Test match, the BCCI president Sourav Ganguly welcomed Virat Kohli to the 100-Test club and he also lauded the 33-year old’s career. Ganguly stated that he never played with him but he followed his career very closely while working in different capacities.
“I haven’t played with him. But I have always followed his game. Having been involved in different capacities, I have always tracked his cricket. I have seen his career from when it started and how it took a different turn after a few years and it has now gone to greatness.” Sourav Ganguly said.
“It’s a matter of time when Virat Kohli will start scoring hundreds again”
Ganguly retired from international cricket in 2008. In the same year, Kohli made his international debut in ODI cricket. By then Ganguly wasn’t part of the ODI team.
“Expectations will always be there when you play at this level. I don’t compare different generations. But whatever number he has batted, whether it is No.4 in Test matches or No.3 in limited-overs cricket, he has batted marvellously.” he added.
Ganguly also recalled his bad phase in the 2014 England tour and how he turned things dramatically in the next series and dominated every bowling attack for more than 5 years. He compared his peak with Rahul Dravid’s peak between 2002 to 2005.
“His technique, his positivity, his footwork, his balance. I like all of that. Above all, the way Virat changed his game after 2014 in England when he was struggling. I saw that Test series because I was working as a commentator there. And he had a remarkable five years after that. That’s what normally happens. I saw that with Rahul Dravid between 2002 to 2005. You see great players having these phases where they are at their peak. Sachin had many.” Ganguly said.
However, this upcoming test at Mohali will be Virat Kohli’s first test as non-captain in more than 7 years. Ganguly feels that it might take some time for him to adjust in this new role but he will again get his old form back and start scoring hundreds.
“It does require some adjustments. But I don’t think it’s very difficult. He will come back and get hundreds. I know about all this talk, with him not getting a hundred for over two years. But he is too good a player to consistently go through this. He will get past this phase too. He knows how to get hundreds otherwise he would not have got 70 of them. As a former player, I know he will start scoring them again. He has enormous ability, so it’s a matter of time.” Ganguly concluded.