Virat Kohli still to be tested as a captain, remarks Sourav Ganguly

Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly believes that Virat Kohli is still not tested as the captain of the Indian side. He, however, believes that Kohli has all the ingredients to be a successful skipper in the long run. The comments came soon after India notched up a big win over Bangladesh in the one-off Test at Hyderabad.

Prior to this, Team India was unbeaten in the year 2016 in Test cricket under the leadership of Virat Kohli. Citing the same as a prime evidence, Ganguly noted that he has tasted great success at home.

In a conversation with India Today, he said, “The signs are pretty much there for him to go and succeed overseas. He’s passionate, he’s hungry, he’s done well in Sri Lanka, yes you can say the West Indies were weak but he still managed to get past them.” He further emphasized on the fact that the Delhi batsman is yet to be tested. He noted that it is the overseas tours of Australia, England and South Africa that will determine the mettle of his captaincy.

“He’s not been tested yet to be honest, as captain. Let’s be fair on him you know we like him, we believe that he’s the man to take Indian cricket forward but he’s not been tested. Just like all of us when you go to England, Australia and South Africa you will be tested in your captaincy skills. So we’ll have to wait but as we know his home record is unbelievable,” quoted Sourav Ganguly.

Also read- Irfan Pathan determined to play for India again

To stress his fact even more, he noted that even the predecessors of Kohli were very successful at home. Considering this fact, he believes that rating Virat Kohli as the best captain just yet is a bit of an over statement.

“They’ve been the likes of Azhar (Azharuddin), MS (Dhoni), myself and Rahul (Dravid), we have hardly lost anything at home. So that’s the way it is and that’s the way it will continue to be in Indian cricket unless and until Indian spinners dip in the future which is a rarity. So from that point of view I believe he’s still to be tested before we pass on the judgement on him,” he conceded.

India is now scheduled to play Australia in the 4 match Test series commencing on February 23. Ganguly believes this was nowhere close to being a dress rehearsal for that tour. He pointed out that the Aussies are a different unit and have a different style of play. He also showered praise on the way the Bangladesh side competed in the Test match.

“I don’t think this was a dress rehearsal for the series against Australia because they will be different. I think the Bangladeshi spinners were a bit more accurate than a lot of the spinners from England and New Zealand and I’m not surprised with what I’ve seen and that’s the way it is,” Ganguly noted.

“I thought Bangladesh played well, they competed well. They could have gone a bit more longer and saved this Test match with a bit more determination. But looking at their performance I thought they competed as much as the last two teams (New Zealand & England). And the reason is they are used to playing in these conditions and the wicket was a good one,” the former skipper opined.