May 10th 2024.
Bengaluru has been abuzz with talk of the upcoming T20 World Cup, and former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly recently shared his thoughts on the Indian team's strategy for the tournament. He believes that star batter Virat Kohli should be given the opportunity to open the batting in order to take advantage of his incredible form in the ongoing Indian Premier League.
It's no surprise that Ganguly is singing Kohli's praises, as the current Orange Cap holder has been in a league of his own in this year's IPL. With an impressive 634 runs from 12 matches at an average of 70.44 and a strike-rate of 153.51, Kohli has been setting the field on fire. Ganguly believes that this form should be utilized in the T20 World Cup, with Kohli opening the batting.
Speaking at a promotional event, Ganguly expressed his confidence in India's squad for the T20 World Cup, saying that it is a well-balanced team capable of bringing home the trophy after a 17-year gap. India's only previous triumph in the T20 World Cup was in 2007, in the inaugural edition held in South Africa.
Ganguly went on to highlight the strengths of India's squad, particularly in the bowling department. He believes that Jasprit Bumrah, who currently holds the title of the world's best fast bowler, will be a key player for India. He also praised the experience and skill of players like Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, and Mohammed Siraj.
The ongoing edition of the IPL has seen teams regularly scoring over 250 runs, and Ganguly believes that this trend will continue in the future. He attributes this to the power-oriented nature of T20 cricket, where there is no time for batters to settle in and they must simply hit from the start. Ganguly also noted the Impact Player rule, which allows teams to add an extra batsman, as a factor contributing to the high scores.
When asked if he thinks this focus on power-hitting will take away from the elegance and artistry of the game, Ganguly disagreed. He believes that different formats demand different skills, and that quality players will always be successful in all formats. He pointed to Kohli as an example of a player who excels in all formats.
On the topic of the T20 World Cup squad, Ganguly was asked about Dinesh Karthik's recent comments expressing his desire to return to the Indian side. Ganguly believes that the selectors made the right call by choosing Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson as wicketkeeper-batters over Karthik. He believes that there are better players than Karthik at the moment.
Finally, Ganguly was asked about the recent "public reprimand" of Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul by team owner Sanjeev Goenka. However, Ganguly declined to comment, stating that he was not privy to the details of the conversation between Goenka and Rahul.
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