South Africa vs India: Virat's form will be very important for team India, says Sourav Ganguly

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly reckons that the form of the current Indian skipper Virat Kohli will be the key to India’s success in South Africa. It was a disappointing sight for the Indian fans to see team India reeling at 92/7 in the first innings of the ongoing Cape Town Test. Had there not been a certain Hardik Pandya, the team could have succumbed to greater miseries.

Moreover, skipper Kohli, tipped to be the top performer on the tour, was dismissed for a single digit score. In his recent column for Times of India, Sourav Ganguly stressed on the fact that the Indian batting depends on the form of their skipper. He remarked that Kohli has to understand how crucial his role is in the team. The former Indian captain pointed out that Kohli had good captaincy outings when he had captained India in Australia in their previous major overseas assignment.

“Virat’s form will be very important for the side. It is his first tour to South Africa as captain and it will be very important for him to strike a balance as skipper and a batsman. His form as captain in the two previous instances in Adelaide and Sydney were brilliant and hopefully those memories will remain fresh for him and help him,” wrote Sourav Ganguly.

On playing in overseas conditions

Ganguly, who is revered as India’s most successful overseas skipper, sympathized with the team’s dismal show in the Test thus far. He noted that it is not easy to play in overseas conditions. However, he has full faith in the ability of the current side. Sourav Ganguly believes that the current lot of Indian players are capable of doing well in the overseas conditions.

“India have had a phenomenal year in 2017 and they will be looking to continue that momentum. One must also understand that it will be a totally different kettle of fish to playing at home, but I believe that this team has the ability to make a difference,” noted Ganguly.

Catch more developments on this and top leading cricket news on CricTracker.