‘This Could Be His Last Test Series In Australia’: Ex-IND Captain’s Staggering Remark On Virat Kohli’s Future – News18
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Former India Captain Sourav Ganguly opined that Kohli will enjoy the conditions in Australia, backing the latter to deliver in the five-match series.
Virat Kohli (AP Photo)
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is around the corner and the build-up has been quite chaotic for India. They suffered a first-ever whitewash at home before flying to Australia while injuries further plagued their camp Down Under. The first Test, in Perth, is a few days away and the visitors seem to be in a muddle. Captain Rohit Sharma will be unavailable, due to personal reasons, and so will be Shubman Gill who recently fractured his thumb during a match simulation. On the other hand, the bowling attack might look fragile in the absence of Mohammad Shami.
In such a scenario, the onus will largely be on former captain Virat Kohli, whose track record in Australia is promising, but his recent form has been concerning. He had a horrendous run against New Zealand at home, scoring just 93 runs in 6 innings. Moreover, it’s been sixteen months since his last Test hundred, vs. West Indies in 2023.
This could be Kohli’s last Australia tour, and the former India captain believes it’s going to be massive for the ace batter. Speaking with RevSports, Ganguly opined that Kohli will enjoy the conditions in Australia, backing the latter to deliver in the five-match series.
“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 told RevSports.
“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,” he added.
India might play Jurel in the middle-order
Ganguly was impressed with Dhruv Jurel’s performance in the second tour game against Australia A. While most of the India A batters faltered, the wicketkeeper-batter scored twin fifties and emerged as the top-scorer of the match which the visitors lost by 6 wickets.
“He is a good young player. He looked good in the A game. Solid defensive technique. I would think they will play him in the first Test in the middle order,” he said.
