'He needs to score runs for himself; confident that he'll come back' - Sourav Ganguly backs Virat Kohli ahead of Asia Cup 2022

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly has said that he wants to see Virat Kohli in his old avatar. Virat Kohli will resume his duty as India takes on their arch-rivals Pakistan on August 28 at Dubai International Stadium. The ‘King’ of Indian cricket last scored a century against Bangladesh in 2019 and is waiting for his 71st ever since.

Ganguly, also a former captain of India, is hopeful that Kohli will return back in form and he is confident of that. “He needs to score runs not only for India but for himself. Hopefully it will be a good season for him. We all are confident that he’ll come back,” Ganguly was quoted by Hindustan Times.

Ganguly also said that Kohli has his own formula to score so many runs. Even when a huge section of the fans are questioning his role in the team. “He’s a very big player, there for a long time. I know he has his own formula to score runs. It’s not possible that players of his stature can’t have such a long lean patch, I know he will definitely score runs. If he was not a great player, he would not have scored so many runs for so long.”

I am sure he is hungry to come out and win matches for the country: KL Rahul on Virat Kohli

KL Rahul, the vice-captain of the side, also believes that Kohli is not out of form, it’s just that he is not getting the runs that it is expected from him.

“He has had a little break and he is working on his game. I was at home watching him on television when I was injured and I didn’t feel like he looked out of form or out of touch. He was batting really well. He has obviously not been able to match up to the standards he himself has set and I am sure he is hungry to come out and win matches for the country. That is something he has always done throughout his career,” said Rahul in the pre-match press conference before taking on Pakistan.

“His mindset has always been to win matches for his country. It was the case when he was captain and it is the same now,” he added.