Sourav Ganguly, the former BCCI president and one of the most iconic captains in the history of Indian cricket, is renowned for his fearless and outspoken nature. Throughout his career, Ganguly has never shied away from taking strong stands on matters he believes in. Recently, he demonstrated his unwavering support for Indian cricket superstar Virat Kohli and responded emphatically to comments made by former Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar regarding Kohli.
Kohli, who recently completed a remarkable fifteen years in international cricket, has had a career filled with monumental achievements and consistency across all formats.
Kohli’s journey in international cricket has seen him dominate the cricketing world for a whole decade with his extraordinary batting prowess. However, like any great player, the 34-year-old faced a challenging period between 2020-2022, where his form took a dip, leading to discussions among cricket enthusiasts and former players about his retirement.
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But Kohli’s resilience and determination came to the forefront when he played an exceptional knock of 82 against arch-rivals Pakistan in the 2022 T20 World Cup, marking his sensational comeback. Since then, he has not looked back and has recaptured his old charisma in all formats of the game.
Akhtar suggest Kohli to quit white-ball cricket
Nevertheless, former Pakistani fast bowler Akhtar’s recent comments about the New Delhi-born cricketer’s retirement from ODI cricket have sparked controversy. Speaking on Revsportz on the show ‘Backstage with Boria’, Akhtar opined that Kohli should retire from ODI cricket after the 2023 World Cup and shift his focus to Test cricket, with the aim of breaking Sachin Tendulkar‘s record of 100 international centuries.
“I don’t think he should play more 50-overs matches after this World Cup. Also, if you see him in T20s, it takes a lot out of him. I think he should play for at least six more years and break the 100 hundreds record of Sachin Tendulkar. Kohli has it in him to break the record. He should focus on Test cricket after this World Cup, and break this record,” Akhtar said.
Ganguly responds firmly to Akhtar
In response, Ganguly, a highly respected figure in Indian cricket, stood firmly by Kohli’s side. The 51-year-old expressed his disagreement with his long time international rival in cricket, Akhtar’s, suggestion and publicly backed Kohli’s continuation in all formats of the game, expressing his confidence in Kohli’s abilities and his contributions to Indian cricket.
“Why? Virat Kohli should play whatever cricket he wants to play. Because he performs,” Ganguly said on the sidelines of a Denver event.
