Former India captain and ex-BCCI President Sourav Ganguly on Friday said Virat Kohli will have to find a way to counter spinners. Kohli was dismissed for just 22 against Bangladesh in the Champions Trophy match in Dubai, caught by Soumya Sarkar off leg-spinner Rishad Hossain. Playing from deep in the crease to a fullish delivery, the star Indian batter attempted a wristy late cut but wasn’t quite wide enough, resulting in his dismissal. In recent times, Kohli has been dismissed multiple times by spinners.
“Virat will be able to sort this problem against spinners. He must find a way. One must remember he has scored 81 international hundreds, many of them against spinners. It was probably just one of those days,” said Ganguly at an event in the city.
The Men in Blue began their Champions Trophy campaign with a six-wicket win over Bangladesh, with 21 balls to spare. While the victory was far from convincing, the former India captain reckons Rohit Sharma and his team will start as favourites against arch-rivals Pakistan on 23rd March.
“India is a powerful white-ball team and has dominated Pakistan in recent times. For me, India are the favourites for the tournament. It won’t be easy for Pakistan. Having watched the game yesterday, the wicket also isn’t easy. It’s not a typical batting surface, so bowlers—especially spinners—will have a big role. The Dubai pitch is two-paced, so I don’t see 300-run totals being scored here,” Ganguly said.
He added, “Recent India-Pakistan games have been one-sided affairs. Pakistan will have to play much better to match India.”
When asked about India’s ideal bowling combination against Pakistan, Ganguly said, “I think India will go with the same bowling combination that played against Bangladesh. Harshit Rana has bowled well, and Mohammed Shami is surely returning to his best. I think the Dubai pitch will offer some turn, so I see all three spinners—Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav—keeping their places.”
Ganguly also lauded the efforts of Shami, who took five wickets against Bangladesh and became the fastest bowler in terms of balls bowled to reach 200 ODI wickets.
“I said a month ago that Shami needs Bumrah, and vice versa. Unfortunately, Bumrah is not fit. I am not surprised by Shami’s five-wicket haul. He will have to continue leading the attack in the tournament. Obviously, Bumrah is the best bowler across formats now, but Shami is not far behind. My only concern is that he must stay fit throughout the tournament and shoulder the responsibility,” Ganguly said.
KL Rahul has been India’s preferred wicketkeeper-batter in ODIs in recent times. Speaking on Rahul’s selection, Ganguly said, “India have such a strong batting line-up that either Rahul or Rishabh Pant can play. Rahul’s ODI numbers are excellent, and there is very little to choose between the two.”
With India picking five spinners in the squad, there has been considerable debate over the team’s strategy. When asked whether India’s spin attack would give them an edge in the marquee clash against Pakistan, Ganguly said, “Pakistan’s batters don’t play spin well, and India have quality spinners. We saw them struggle against Michael Bracewell in their opening match.”
Finally, on his semi-final predictions, Ganguly said, “New Zealand have beaten Pakistan, so they are ahead. If India beat Pakistan, then Pakistan will probably be out. So, I see India and New Zealand progressing from this group. In the other group, England, South Africa, and Australia are the main contenders. I am slightly concerned about Australia as they are missing their three main pacers. They will have to bowl well on the tracks in Pakistan. But you can never count the Aussies out, given their pedigree and talent. I won’t be surprised if England and South Africa make the last four.”