IND vs SA 2018: Ganguly asks fans to be patient with Virat Kohli

The third Test match starts today in Johannesburg.

Kohli's post match press conference in centurion triggered a lot of controversy. (AFP)

Virat Kohli lost his first series as captain after having a memorable run as India captain winning 9 series on the trot. India lost the first two Tests and are having to do a lot of rethinking before the final Test which starts today in Johannesburg. Many think it as a dead rubber but in the scope of things, this is an important Test match for India to win and get back some sort of confidence before the limited overs series starts. 

Post the centurion defeat, Virat Kohli's comments in the post-match press conference triggered the controversies further. Many cricket pundits came down criticising Kohli's tactics in the first two Tests. 

In his latest column for TOI, Ganguly asked the final Test like the previous two Tests will be tough for Virat Kohli and has asked fans to have patience with the Indian captain. 

"There is lot of talk going around about Virat Kohli's leadership qualities. It is important to be patient as it is his first big overseas tour," wrote Ganguly, who played 311 ODIs and 113 Tests. "Nobody really is a born leader and it is important that leaders are allowed to develop and grow. I am convinced Kohli will keep getting better at this. It is very important that as a leader you keep performing - that is the biggest challenge and this is where Kolhi has done remarkably well."

Ganguly further added on to say that keeping the conditions in mind and India's need to win the final Test, India should go in with an extra batsman in Joburg. 

"The hype is obviously about the pitch, about what India will get to play on. The groundsman has spoken about a green pitch but till a ball is bowled, you can never say what the track will be like exactly. There is also word that India will play five fast bowlers but they will have to be very careful because spin will be useful in a five-day game and variation is also important in a longer format," wrote Ganguly, who led India to the final of the 2003 ICC World Cup in South Africa" added the former Indian captain. 

He finally concluded saying that India's team selection for the final Test should depend on the pitch and the conditions. 

"They will need to believe in themselves, need to fight for every run as a batting unit. The question for India will be whether to play five bowlers or four. If the pitch remains green till the start then they can go in with four bowlers and should pick that extra batter. If not, they must continue with the five bowlers." concluded Ganguly hinting at a possible exclusion of R Ashwin from the lineup. 

 
 

By Anshuman Roy - 24 Jan, 2018

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