Former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly has strongly advocated for the inclusion of Virat Kohli as an opener in the upcoming T20 World Cup. Ganguly believes that Kohli’s exceptional form in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) warrants his promotion to the top of the order.
“Virat is playing exceptionally well. The way Kohli batted last night – 90 in quick time, you need to use him as an opener in the T20 World Cup,” Ganguly told PTI.
Ganguly expressed confidence in India’s T20 World Cup squad, commending its balanced composition and expressing optimism about their trophy prospects after a 17-year gap.
“This is an excellent squad. I think they have picked the best possible squad. Apart from batting depth, bowling looks excellent,” Ganguly remarked.
Reflecting on the high-scoring nature of T20 cricket, Ganguly acknowledged the trend of power-hitting and its impact on the game’s dynamics.
“This is going to be the trend in the years to come. T20 cricket has become a power-oriented game and that’s what it is going to be,” Ganguly observed.
Ganguly identified the Impact Player rule and the aggressive mindset of modern-day batsmen as factors contributing to the surge in mammoth totals in the IPL.
“Now, in IPL we are seeing scores like 240, 250 regularly… That’s how this game has gone and that’s how the players have started approaching the game,” Ganguly explained.
Ganguly stressed the need for bowlers to upskill themselves to counter the dominance of batsmen in T20s, citing examples of skillful bowlers thriving across formats.
“I don’t believe in formats. I believe in skills. These are exemplary players who will thrive in all formats,” Ganguly noted.
Referring to the selection of wicketkeeper-batsmen for the T20 World Cup, Ganguly backed the decision to prioritize Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson over Dinesh Karthik.
“Dinesh played well but there are better players than Dinesh. I don’t think you can leave Sanju or Rishabh out,” Ganguly remarked.
Ganguly refrained from commenting on the public reprimand of Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul, citing the need for a comprehensive understanding of the situation.
“It is not fair for me to make a comment based on a TV grab… So, I leave it at that,” Ganguly concluded.
