Virat Kohli participated in all five matches of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia but managed to score only 190 runs throughout the series. A significant chunk of these runs—100—came in the second innings of the first Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth.
Despite this early display of form, Kohli’s performance with the bat for the remainder of the series fell short of expectations, particularly against the world’s No. 1 Test team. His struggles left former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly surprised and somewhat disappointed.
Ganguly, speaking at an event organized by the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) on Monday, expressed his thoughts on Kohli’s underwhelming series. He admitted that he had high hopes for the star batsman following his century in the series opener and expected Kohli to deliver a standout performance. However, the rest of the series did not pan out as anticipated.
Sourav Ganguly further added, “I think Virat Kohli is a once-in-a-lifetime player for men’s cricket. To score 80 international 100s in a career is something unbelievable. For me, he is probably the greatest white ball player the world has seen. But I was really surprised by the way he batted after getting a 100 in Perth. He struggled before that year, but I thought after the 100 in Perth, it will be a big series for him. But I think it happens. Every player has his weakness and strength. There is no player in the world who will not have that. It’s how you adapt to your weaknesses as you play great bowlers over a period of time.”
Ganguly’s remarks underline the high expectations placed on Kohli, who remains one of cricket’s most celebrated players, even as he navigates the inevitable ups and downs of a long career.
