Sans Kohli other batsmen will have to step up, reckons Sourav Ganguly

Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly has rightly reflected that the Indian batsmen have an uphill task ahead of them in the final Test against Australia at Dharamsala. The final Test of the four-match series kickstarted on Saturday with the hosts getting an early jolt before the match. Indian skipper Virat Kohli was ruled out of the fixture due to a shoulder injury.

The Indian think tank opted to play an extra bowler in the form of Kuldeep Yadav in place of Kohli. They had the option of replacing Kohli with a batsman like Shreyas Iyer but reckoned an extra bowler might come in handy. The trick worked well for them as Kuldeep scalped four wickets in his debut Test innings and Australia finished with 300 in their first innings.

Now, the onus has shifted on the Indian batsmen. With only five specialist batsmen in the lineup, it is absolutely needless to cite that the work that lies ahead is going to be tough. Sourav Ganguly feels just the same as he recently quoted that in the absence of Kohli, the other batsmen will have to step up.

As per the quotes in Mid Day, Sourav Ganguly quoted, “India will have to bat well. They are playing with five batsmen. And without Kohli, the others have to step up.”

He was also full of praise for chinaman Kuldeep Yadav. Yadav got key wickets of David Warner, Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell and Pat Cummins in his debut Test innings. Ganguly looked very pleased with the efforts of Yadav, who scalped 4/68.

Hailing his performance, the former Indian captain quoted, “Kuldeep bowled really well. It’s all about his release of the ball. Like any right arm leg-spinner, it’s important to observe him while he is releasing the ball. The Test is still wide open and any team can win.”

Meanwhile, the Kolkata Knight Riders, the IPL franchise that Kuldeep plays for, was also a happy camp on the day. Some of the players of the side like Suryakumar Yadav, Sheldon Jackson, Sayan Ghosh recently had a practice camp at Eden Gardens. KKR vice-captain Suryakumar Yadav looked pleased with the way Kuldeep had an impactful debut.

He quoted, “I was watching the match since morning. Kuldeep was brilliant, and his performance augurs well for us in the IPL.”