India great Sourav Ganguly hit back at Virat Kohli after the ugly rift between the former and current superstars of Indian cricket escalated during the ongoing Indian Premier League. After Virat Kohli reportedly unfollowed Sourav Ganguly on Instagram, the latter followed suit, deciding to unfollow the current RCB talisman on the popular photo and video-sharing platform.
With two legends of the Indian cricket team involved in a massive controversy, social media has been abuzz with opinions.
The latest brawl between Virat Kohli and Sourav Ganguly began after the match between RCB and Delhi Capitals (DC). Virat Kohli gave a death stare to Sourav Ganguly while the Bengal-born left-hander refused a handshake with the Delhi-born cricketer. Some fans claimed Sourav Ganguly jumped the queue to avoid a handshake with Virat Kohli.
For the unversed, Virat Kohli and Sourav Ganguly share an acrimonious relationship after the former was sacked as India's ODI skipper when the latter was the BCCI president in 2022. While Sourav Ganguly subsequently claimed that Virat Kohli was informed about the decision in advance, the 34-year-old accused the Bengali superstar of lying as he never told him to vacate his seat for Rohit Sharma.
Since then, the relationship between the ex-player and Team India and RCB talisman has broken down. And they hardly wish each other on social media these days, which wasn't the same some time back.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri shared his views on the growing rift between Kohli and Ganguly.
“Depends on what my relationship is. If I don't want to talk, I'll just go past. But at the end of it, when you go and sit down, you feel that there's always some room to grow up, no matter how old you are,” Ravi Shastri told ESPNcricinfo.
Not known for mincing his words, Ravi Shastri voiced his support for Virat Kohli's return as the national team's captain in case Rohit Sharma was unavailable, especially during pressure-cooker games.
“Once Rohit was injured, I thought Virat would captain,” Shastri told ESPNcricinfo. “If I was still there – I'm sure Rahul [Dravid] might have done the same thing, I have not spoken to him – I would've recommended to the board that it's only fair he leads because he was captain of the team that was leading 2-1 in the series and probably could have got the best [out of the team].”
“If it's for a major game like that, I want Rohit to be fit, he is the captain. But god forbid something happens under unforeseen circumstances, definitely I'll look in that direction,” the former Team India all-rounder added.
Ravi Shastri reckons Virat Kohli is back to his best.
“He's in a very good space, enjoying his cricket,” Shastri said. “That's the feeling I got as opposed to the last year when we were sitting and discussing does he need a break, does he not need a break. He seemed to have the burden of the whole world on his shoulders.”
“Now it's refreshing. The enthusiasm, passionate energy and enjoyment have come back, which for me was the best thing to see. Runs you might or might not get but when you see someone, and the passion, enjoyment and drive is back again, it's good,” Ravi Shastri concluded.
Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson labeled the whole saga as “rumor-mongering”.
“It could be rumor-mongering, but I'm not sure. So it's not something I want to get involved in,” Shane Watson said on Grade Cricket's YouTube channel.
“But there was definitely some fire in Virat's belly, that's for sure. For an opposition point of view, that's the last thing you need as well. Virat, when he's like that, that's when he's at his absolute best. Whatever reason that was, I'm not exactly sure.”
Virat Kohli recently became the first batter to reach the 3,000-run mark at a single stadium in T20s. Overall, the 34-year-old has made 3,015 runs in 92 knocks at Bengaluru's iconic M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Right behind the Delhi-born cricketer in the last are ex-Bangladesh skippers Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim. In 121 innings, Mushfiqur Rahim has collected 2,989 runs at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka. Mahmudullah has accrued 2,813 runs in 130 knocks at the same ground.
England's Alex Hales and Bangladesh's Tamim Iqbal occupy the fourth and the fifth spots on the list. While the Englishman has made 2,749 runs in 90 innings in the shortest format in Trent Bridge, the Bangladeshi has completed 2,706 runs in Mirpur.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, RCB head coach Sanjay Bangar, and former Indian women's team skipper Mithali Raj lauded Virat Kohli's efforts with the bat in the cash-rich league.
“See, Virat Kohli is a cricketer on a different level. Whatever we speak about him might not be enough for him. He always tries to keep the game at a high level. His intensity on the field and the vibe he brings to the side is excellent to see. He always likes to step up and improve his game. Whether it is 20 overs, 50 overs or Test cricket, the intensity is always the same. He is a top-level personnel,” Sanjay Bangar told India Today.
“Virat Kohli is giving RCB flying starts at the start of the innings. He deserves a lot of credit for the starts RCB is getting and the runs the team is managing to post on the board because of his starts. These are good signs for RCB,” Sunil Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
“An opener setting the momentum for a team is important in T20s, and Virat did just that against Delhi Capitals. Virat charges against the bowlers who are bowling at a speed of 140/150 kmph. He's never bogged down by the bowlers. The strike rate with which he's scoring runs in the middle will give the confidence to the other batters to do well when they step in,” Mithali Raj concluded.
Virat Kohli is the fifth-highest run-getter in IPL 2023 with Yashasvi Jaiswal sitting on top with 428 runs. Faf du Plessis, Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Virat Kohli follow him with 422, 414, 354, and 333 runs, respectively.
Follow Us
Subscribe