Veteran India batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are enduring a torrid time in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).
In IPL 2022 so far, Kohli has played nine innings and managed to amass only 128 runs at an average of 16, including two golden ducks while his highest score has been 48.
On the other hand, MI captain Rohit has featured in 8 games, aggregating 153 runs at 19.13 with the best score of 41. Rohit’s poor showing with the bat reflects on his team’s standing as Mumbai Indians (MI) are currently occupying the last spot on the IPL 2022 points table, having lost all their eight matches.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's form is a cause of concern for the Indian fans with the T20 World Cup slated to be held in Australia later this year.
However, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly is confident that the duo will regain their form sooner than later.
“They are great players and I am sure they will get back in form. I hope they start scoring runs soon. I don’t know what is going on in Virat Kohli’s head but I am sure he will regain his form and get some good runs. He is a great player,” Ganguly said in an exclusive interaction with News18.
The BCCI chief is pleased to see the performances of two new franchises, Gujrat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants, in the IPL 15 season. He also termed SRH pacer Umran Malik as the ‘outstanding face’ of IPL 2022 so far.
Umran has caught everyone’s attention with his hostile pace bowling. He has claimed 15 wickets in eight outings thus far, including a five-wicket haul.
“Oh, it’s very interesting, I am watching [the IPL]. Any team can win and everyone is playing well. The two new teams - Gujrat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants - are doing well. Umran Malik’s bowling has been eye-catching. Umesh Yadav too has bowled well and so has Khalil Ahmed. I would say Umran Malik has been the outstanding face of the league so far,” Ganguly said.
The BCCI boss also hinted that players might get respite from the bio-bubble life after the IPL if COVID cases continue to be in decline within the country.
“If the Covid cases do not rise in the country, bio-bubbles may not be required after the IPL. But, we will have to wait and watch for how long will they will be able to play in one place. Covid is here to stay – it will be around for another 10 years, so we have to live with it. [As for BCCI handling the situation if the need arises], let’s see what can be done,” he remarked.
