Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly doesn’t believe in the emotional talk around Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s future after the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. He expressed that he believes only in performance. With the veteran Indian batting duo in their mid-30s, there have been speculations about the 2023 ODI World Cup being their last.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have won one ICC Trophy each for Team India. Kohli was part of the 2011 ICC ODI World Cup squad, while Rohit was part of the 2007 T20 World Cup winning team. The duo would want to win the upcoming 2023 ODI World Cup, which will take place in India later this year.
Sourav Ganguly was asked about his thoughts on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma potentially playing their last ODI World Cup on Star Sports. The former skipper responded,
“I don’t believe too much in last time, first time. I believe in performances. They are 34-35, I don’t know what’s going to happen in the next World Cup. There are world tournaments every year – T20 cricket, 50-over cricket.”
“It’s not like as in the past when we started – one every four years and then the Champions Trophy came in. So it’s about performances and I am sure Rohit as captain and Virat will be wanting to make it a big one not from a personal point of view but from winning it. I think that’s the biggest,” he added.
Good teams have players who perform on the big stage: Sourav Ganguly
Team India last won an ICC Trophy in 2013, when they defeated England in the Champions Trophy final. Since then, they have reached the ICC finals on four occasions, and have lost all four. Recently, they lost to Australia in the World Test Championship final. Sourav Ganguly highlighted that it is important for players to deliver at important stages. He said,
“We at times forget that it’s not just about hundreds, it’s not about having a good tournament, it’s about also doing it at the right time. The World Test Championship was also a very important stage to do it and good teams have players who do it on the big stage.”
The former Indian skipper cited examples of Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden, MS Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir. He expressed,
“Ricky Ponting did it in 2003. Matthew Hayden did it in 2007. For Australia, in 2015, players stood out. Big teams will have players standing up in big matches. For India, MS Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir in the final in 2011, what knocks they were – Wankhede Stadium, packed house, it can’t be more pressure than that.”
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