‘Don’t even talk about Virat. He will also fail…’: Sourav Ganguly on Kohli’s worst T20WC show ahead of IND vs SA final

Virat Kohli’s performance has been a major worry for India as they prepare for the T20 World Cup final against South Africa on Saturday in Barbados. Despite being the top run-scorer in the history of the tournament with 1216 runs, Kohli has had his worst showing in six T20 World Cup appearances, scoring only 75 runs in seven innings. This has led to a lot of criticism from fans on social media. As discussions continue about his place in the playing XI for the final, former India captain Sourav Ganguly shared his thoughts on Kohli’s form.

Kohli was expected to bring his excellent IPL 2024 form, where he scored 741 runs in 15 innings and won the Orange Cap, into the World Cup. However, the 35-year-old has struggled, with five single-digit scores, including two ducks, and no fifty-plus scores. His best performance was a score of 37 against Bangladesh in the Super Eight stage.

With India aiming for their second T20 World Cup trophy in their third final appearance, Ganguly addressed the concerns about Kohli’s form. He reminded fans of Kohli’s impressive performance in the ODI World Cup last year.

“Don’t even talk about Virat Kohli,” Ganguly told news agency PTI. “He’s a once-in-a-lifetime player. Virat should continue to open. He just had a World Cup where he scored 700 runs seven months ago. He is human. Sometimes, he will also fail, and you have to accept it.”

The former BCCI president even compared Kohli to Indian cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, backing him to deliver a big performance in the final at the Kensington Oval.

“People like Kohli, Tendulkar, Dravid, they are institutions for Indian cricket. Three or four matches don’t make them weaker players. Don’t rule him out in the final tomorrow,” Ganguly said.

Earlier on Thursday, India captain Rohit Sharma also defended Kohli after he scored a run-a-ball 9 against England before being dismissed by Reece Topley.

“He (Kohli) is a quality player. Any player can go through a dip in form. We understand his class and his importance in these big games. Form is never a problem. When you’ve played cricket for 15 years, form is never a problem. He’s looking good, the intent is there, he’s probably saving it for the final,” Rohit said.