Legendary Indian captain Sourav Ganguly spoke about India’s disappointing performance with the bat in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Ganguly feels the batsmen need to score big if India are to win Test matches.
The former Indian captain also spoke about Virat Kohli’s disappointing returns with the bat in the Test series against Australia. Kohli’s similar dismissal style throughout the series has raised questions about his ability to play red cricket going forward.
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Sourav Ganguly breaks his silence on India’s poor batting
Speaking to India Today, Sourav Ganguly revealed the reason behind India’s poor performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He blamed the team’s batsmen for their inability to score big runs during the series.
“We didn’t bat well, we have to bat well in Test cricket. If you don’t bat well, you won’t win Test matches. If you score 170-180 you cannot win test matches. You need to score 350-400. No one can be blamed. Everyone has to score runs,” Ganguly said.
India crossed the 350-run mark only twice in the entire series. Both those results were achieved in rather better batting conditions, one in Perth and the other in Melbourne. In the last Test in Sydney, the batsmen struggled against the swing and the seam and India were bowled out for poor scores in both innings.
Sourav Ganguly on Virat Kohli’s runs
Sourav Ganguly also spoke about Virat Kohli’s disappointing returns with the bat in the series. The former Indian captain was not too sure about Kohli’s concern but backed him to overcome it soon.
“I don’t understand. He (Virat Kohli) is such a great player. But I am sure they will overcome this problem,” Ganguly added.
Virat Kohli scored a hundred in the first Test in Perth, but his tally dropped drastically in the next four Tests. In all, he scored 190 runs in five Tests at an average of just 23.75.
More than his form, the big problem was his dismissal style. He was sacked to the balls on all eight occasions in the series. The repeated manner of dismissal raises questions about Kohli’s future in the longest format of the game.
With India’s next Test match in June during the England tour, it will be interesting to see if Virat Kohli can make it. The 36-year-old has struggled in English conditions throughout his career.
Australia reached the second consecutive WTC final
Meanwhile, Australia won the series 3-1 to advance to their second consecutive World Test Championship final. They are also the defending WTC champions, having previously defeated India in the final. Australia will now face South Africa in the WTC final in June. The match will be played at Lord’s in London.
It was also the first time that India failed to reach the finals of the WTC. The men in blue were finalists on the first two occasions, but lost to New Zealand and Australia in the summit clash.
