Virat Kohli is very similar to Sourav Ganguly, he backs youngsters like Rishabh Pant: Irfan Pathan

Along with being an aggressive skipper, Sourav Ganguly was also known for backing young starlets of Team India. Many prolific youngsters like Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan rose through ranks and emerged as world-class players after breaking into the Ganguly-led side.

Over the years, there have been many prospects who have paved their way into the national side after performing at the U19 level. Current India skipper Virat Kohli was himself a part of the Under-19 team which clinched the 2008 World Cup trophy. Kohli, the then U19 skipper had gained many accolades for his performances in the showpiece event.

However, many U19 players, due to lack of proper focus and guidance, get lost in their voyage and fail to dazzle at the biggest stage. The backing of the skipper is crucial for any player to flourish in international cricket.

Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan drew a similarity between the captaincy of Virat Kohli and Sourav Ganguly, saying that the Delhi cricketer backed his players as Dada did. Irfan cited the example of Rishabh Pant and pointed out how Kohli has backed the youngster at the highest level.

“He is very similar to Sourav Ganguly as well. A guy who backs his youngsters really, really well. Virat Kohli has that aura about him, that he goes out of his way to back the youngsters. We have seen that with Rishabh Pant, we have seen the press conferences, he goes to and says, ‘No, we need to back a guy like Rishabh Pant purely on his potential,” the Baroda all-rounder said on Star Sports’ show Cricket Connected.

Have seen so many U19 India players who vanish: Irfan Pathan

Irfan, who donned the India jersey in 29 Tests, 120 ODIs and 24 T20Is, also opined that first-class cricket is the bridge between U19 World Cup and international breakthrough. The former India all-rounder also revealed how a player can bridge the gap to eventually play for the senior team and reach the bigger level. At present, India is stacked with many young stars like Prithvi Shaw and Shubman Gill, who have delivered an exemplary performance at the Under-19 level.

“We have seen so many Under-19 India players who vanish after playing the U-19 World Cup. They don’t end up fulfilling their potential at the international level which they might have. Also, we have so many cricketers playing the U-19 World Cup and then going on to play for India. In between, there is a bridge which is first-class cricket,” said Irfan.

“I think we need to make sure that you have the right mentality to reach at the bigger level, at the same time, making your game bigger, I think that’s the biggest challenge any cricketer faces who plays U-19. At the U-19, you need to make sure that you strive to get better as a cricketer.

The competition level isn’t the same at the U-19 level, first-class level and at the international level. You need to keep changing your cricketing ability, but at the same time, your mentality as well which is very, very important,” he added.