'Virat Kohli has to find his way,' says Sourav Ganguly
Former Indian captain Virat Kohli has been struggling to rediscover his mojo across formats. The 33-year-old averages just 26.05 from 14 internationals in 2022. He missed the first ODI against England owing to a groin injury and is likely to sit out of the second match. Despite his lean patch, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly continues to back one of India's greatest batters.
Why does this story matter?
Kohli showed signs of a comeback in 2021, averaging over 70.00 in T20Is. However, he has played just four T20Is this year with abysmal shows on three occasions. His form has taken a beating across formats which could be a major concern for India, heading into the T20 World Cup. Notably, Kohli slammed his last international century in November 2019.
Here is what Ganguly said on Kohli's form
"Yes, he has had a tough time and he knows that. He himself knows by his own standards it has not been good and I see him coming back and doing well. But he has got to find his way and become successful, which he has been for the last 12-13 years," BCCI president Ganguly said while speaking to ANI.
Ganguly went through a similar phase
Ganguly, who led India across formats between 1999 and 2005, underwent a similar phase. During the infamous Chappell era, the 50-year-old was stripped of India's captaincy and then dropped from both ODI and Test squads. After sitting out for nearly a year, Ganguly made a stunning comeback in the South Africa Test series (December 2006). He then played international cricket for two more years.
'Just go play your game,' advises Ganguly
As per Ganguly, every cricketer goes through a rough patch at least once. "It has happened to Sachin, It has happened to Rahul, it has happened to me, it has happened to Kohli. It's going to happen to players. I think as a sportsman you just need to listen, be aware of what it is and just go and play your game," he added.
Kapil Dev gives a remark on Kohli; Rohit Sharma disagrees
A few days back, former India skipper Kapil Dev opined on benching Kohli for the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup. However, Indian captain Rohit Sharma disagreed with the 1983 World Cup-winning skipper's remarks. The former stated that the cricket experts are "watching the game from outside and do not know what is happening inside". Rohit clarified that the side has a "thought process".
India's highest T20I run-scorer at number three since 2020
Kohli does not have fortunes on his side at the moment. Despite being out of form, has been India's highest run-getter at his favored number three position in T20Is. He has stacked 414 runs in 15 outings at an average of 34.50 in this period (four half-centuries). Shreyas Iyer follows Kohli, having amassed 357 runs at a strike rate in excess of 150.
Most runs by a visiting batter in Australia
Averaging 50.12, Kohli has clobbered 3,308 runs across 99 T20I outings. The 33-year-old ranks second only to Rohit (3,379) in terms of runs in the format. He holds the record for most fifties by a batter in T20Is (30). Interestingly, Kohli has the most number of runs by a visiting batter in Australia (451), which will host the impending T20 World Cup.
