On the final day of the RevSportz Trailblazers 3.0 Conclave, former India captain and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly took centre stage in an engaging and insightful session with RevSportz editor-in-chief Boria Majumdar.
Known for his candid views and deep understanding of Indian cricket, Ganguly touched upon various crucial topics, including the leadership of Rohit Sharma, India’s red-ball future, the highly anticipated England tour, and much more.
Speaking about Rohit Sharma as a leader, Ganguly praised his intent but also pointed out areas of improvement. “I think he is a much better player than just scoring 30s and 40s in 50-over cricket,” he said. “He will still score at a very good strike-rate. And if you remember the hundred he got against England in Cuttack, he was brilliant.”
Given India’s batting depth, Rohit has the freedom to play his natural game, but he needs to take responsibility for big scores. “As much as quick starts are required because India bats very deep—Ravindra Jadeja bats at No. 8, Axar Patel bats at five—he can have that freedom at the top. But I think he is a much better player than that. I was reading Mr Gavaskar saying that Rohit should not just look at 20s and 30s but bat 25-30 overs and get to a big score. Rightfully so, because if he bats 30 overs, India will beat any team.”
For the Latest Sports News: Click Here
Sourav Ganguly on Rohit’s Captaincy, Kohli & Jaiswal’s Form, Gill’s Test Struggles & More!
In this exclusive interaction at Trailblazers 3.0, Sourav Ganguly opens up on a range of topics ahead of the England Test series! 👉 From Rohit Sharma’s captaincy to Virat Kohli and… pic.twitter.com/cj6gjBICXI
— Boria Majumdar (@BoriaMajumdar) March 17, 2025
Ganguly also emphasised the importance of consistency in the red-ball format. “Look at what Virat [Kohli] did against Pakistan in a pressure game. He took the game till the end, and I think Rohit Sharma can do that. White-ball and red-ball cricket are different, and as I said, he is a phenomenal white-ball player. But what surprised me is his form in red-ball over the last four or five years. A player of his stature, his ability, I think he can do much better than what he has done.”
The former captain acknowledged the challenges ahead for India, especially in Test cricket. “Once this series finishes, he must put on his thinking cap because we have five Tests against England,” said Ganguly. “That is going to be another hard series, like the way it was in Australia. It is going to seam, it is going to swing, and England are a good side at home. India needs him to perform with the red ball. But in white-ball cricket, he is the greatest ever. I have always said Rohit Sharma is a fabulous captain.”
When asked why he rated Rohit as a fabulous captain, Ganguly responded with conviction. “Because that is what I see,” he said. “That is what I noticed when he was captaining India. I have seen him captain Mumbai Indians. I think he is a fantastic captain. I have captained India for so many matches, so I can see the traits in a captain. I am not surprised that he has taken the team to greater heights in white-ball cricket. But I do not know whether he is going to continue playing Test cricket. And if he is hearing me on this, I think he should take the responsibility of turning things around in red-ball cricket. India needs to find a way to perform better in Test matches, especially in England.”
Ganguly pointed out the depth of India’s white-ball team compared to their Test side. “In one-day cricket, they are unbeatable,” he said. “When you look at Indian cricket in the white ball, you can have two teams who will beat any team in the world at the moment. You see the T20 side—there is no Rohit Sharma, no Virat Kohli, no Shreyas Iyer, no KL Rahul, no Shubman Gill—and they still hammer everyone. They went to South Africa and won all the games. England came here, and they hammered England. So, there are actually 30 players who can wear the Indian shirt in white-ball cricket and win games for India. But whether it is the same in red-ball cricket? I am not sure yet. That culture needs to come back.”
On the challenges faced by key players like Kohli and Rohit, Ganguly said, “It is possible to transform our red-ball fortunes in England. You have to bat well. You look at the times India played their best away from home—it is when they put 400-500 runs on the board. You speak about our generation, when we won in England, we were one-all in Australia against the best-ever cricket team in the world, we went to Pakistan and won there—all because we were scoring 600 runs.”
He highlighted the importance of big scores in Test cricket. “Those three Tests in Pakistan (2004)—Multan, we got 600; Lahore, we got 400; Rawalpindi, we got 700. Going to Australia, 500 in Brisbane, 500 in Adelaide, 700 in Sydney. You have to get runs on the board to win Test matches. You do not win Tests by scoring 200, 250, or 180. The reason they won in Perth was because they got 400 on the board. Yashasvi Jaiswal, who I think is the best Test batsman at the moment for India, played a crucial role.”
Ganguly urged key Indian players to step up. “[Rishabh] Pant has got to bite the bullet and play the swinging ball,” he said. “You can not keep swinging all the time and expect to score runs in Test cricket. It is a mentality, determination, and grit. They have the talent—Virat Kohli, the best in the business. I do not see him failing in five Test matches in England. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill—they need to step up. My only worry is that, other than Virat and Yashasvi, not many average more than 40 away from home. If you want to be a good Test team, three or four of your top six batters must be averaging close to 50 in Test matches.”
Also Read: Rating of Top Indian stars in WPL 2025