Sourav Ganguly advocates for Virat Kohli as Indian opener at T20 World Cup following IPL 2024 success

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly has suggested that Virat Kohli should be utilized as an opener in the upcoming T20 World Cup, citing Kohli's outstanding performance in the current Indian Premier League (IPL) season. Kohli, who is leading the run-scorers with 634 runs in 12 matches at a striking rate of 153.51, has shown exceptional form that Ganguly believes should be maximized from the opening position.

Speaking at a promotional event, Ganguly remarked, "Virat is playing exceptionally well. The way Kohli batted last night – 90 in quick time, you need to use him as opener in T20 World Cup. He should open, evidenced by his last few IPL innings which have been outstanding." These comments underline Ganguly's confidence in Kohli's ability to impact games from the get-go, especially in light of his performance that far exceeds his career IPL strike rate of 134.31.

Ganguly also expressed his satisfaction with the squad selected for the T20 World Cup, highlighting its balance and the potential to end India's 17-year title drought since their victory in the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007. "This is an excellent squad. I think they have picked the best possible squad. Apart from batting depth, bowling looks excellent," he said, praising the inclusion of top performers like Jasprit Bumrah, whom he described as "the best fast bowler in the world at the moment."

The evolution of T20 cricket into a power-oriented game was another topic Ganguly touched upon, reflecting on comments by players like Sanju Samson about the aggressive nature of modern T20s. He pointed out the increased frequency of high scores in the IPL, attributing it to favourable batting conditions, smaller ground sizes in India, and the Impact Player rule, which allows teams to add an additional batsman, contributing to higher-scoring games.

Regarding the bowlers' adaptation to the high-scoring T20 format, Ganguly emphasized the need for enhanced skills. "The bowlers need to be really more skillful, we have some skillful bowlers around, to be more successful," citing the performances of bowlers like Bumrah, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav who have excelled across formats.

Responding to a query about the potential loss of cricket's elegance due to the rise of power-hitting, Ganguly reassured that the different formats cater to different aspects of the game, with Test cricket maintaining its traditional charm and artistry.

“Look, quality players will be successful in all formats of the game. Look at Virat Kohli…the best players will adjust to all formats,” he added.

Finally, Ganguly addressed the selection of wicketkeepers for the World Cup, supporting the choice of Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson over Dinesh Karthik.

“Dinesh played well but there are better players than Dinesh. I don’t think you can leave Sanju or Rishabh out. There are better players than Dinesh Karthik at the moment,” said Ganguly.

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(With PTI inputs)