Current BCCI President and former India captain Sourav Ganguly was present in Mohali for Virat Kohli's 100th Test match, as India faced off against Sri Lanka in the first Test of the two-match series on Friday, March 4.
Ganguly and Kohli have been at loggerheads ever since he was unceremoniously dumped as India's ODI captain after he had stepped down from T20I captaincy last year. While Ganguly said that the decision was made after failed attempts from him personally and chief selector Chetan Sharma to convince Kohli to remain as T20I captain as selectors didn't want two white-ball captains.
However, Kohli in a press conference, revealed that he was not approached by any BCCI official including Ganguly, which led to rumors of an alleged rift between the two stalwarts of Indian cricket.
However, in an interview with Sportstar, Ganguly opened up on Virat Kohli and how he perceives the 33-year-old as a cricketer, leader, and a person.
Opening up about Kohli's dismissal in his 100th Test, Ganguly stated, "It is a big moment. 100 Test matches is a lot of cricket, and he deserves it. He has earned his 100 Test match cap and he is a fantastic player. He has done every bit of it for Indian cricket."
Speaking about the lean patches that a cricketer has to go through in his career, the Prince of Calcutta added, "I would not call it a lean phase. Maybe, he has not got a hundred, but I would not certainly call it a lean phase."
Apart from the above, Ganguly also put forward his thoughts about Virat Kohli quitting India's Test captaincy and whether it will help him get back his form with the bat.
He said: "Virat, as a captain, played very well. Even when he was a captain, he did remarkably well as a batter too. I did not see it as a problem for him. I don’t see any difference now either. He was a good player then also, and if it is believed that less pressure will make him bat better, it will make him bat better. As a captain, he has done fantastically well."
The 33-year-old Kohli was dismissed for 45 in the first innings of his 100th Test.
(Sportstar inputs)
