'He's great player but...': Sourav Ganguly's brutally honest opinion on 'struggling' Virat Kohli

Legendary India captain Sourav Ganguly has opened up on India's disappointing performance with the bat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. Ganguly feels that the batters need to score big runs if India are to win Test matches.

The former India skipper also spoke about Virat Kohli's disappointing returns with the bat in the Test series against Australia. Kohli's similar mode of dismissals throughout the series has raised questions about his ability to play red-ball cricket in the future.

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Sourav Ganguly breaks silence on India's poor batting performance

While speaking to India Today, Sourav Ganguly revealed the reason for India's poor performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He blamed the team's batters for their inability to score big runs throughout the series.

“We did not bat well, we have to bat well in Test cricket. If you do not bat well, you will not win Test matches. If you score 170-180, you cannot win Test matches. You have to score 350-400. No one can be blamed. Everyone has to score runs," Ganguly said.

India crossed the 350-run mark just twice in the whole series. Both of those scores came in fairly better batting conditions, once in Perth and the other one in Melbourne. In the last Test at Sydney, the batters struggled to counter the swing and seam and India were bundled out for sub-par scores in both innings.

Sourav Ganguly on Virat Kohli's lean run

Sourav Ganguly also spoke about Virat Kohli's disappointing returns with the bat in the series. The former India skipper wasn't too sure about Kohli's concerns but backed him to overcome it soon.

“I don’t understand. He (Virat Kohli) is such a great player. But I am sure he will overcome this problem," Ganguly added.

Virat Kohli scored a hundred in the first Test at Perth but his numbers came down drastically in the next four Tests. Overall, he scored 190 runs in five Tests at an average of just 23.75.

More than his form, his mode of dismissals was a big issue. He was dismissed to the balls outside off stump on all eight occasions in the series. The repeated mode of dismissals raises questions about Kohli's future in the longest format of the game.

With India's next Test match in June during the tour of England, it will be interesting to see if Virat Kohli manages to make it. The 36-year-old has struggled in English conditions throughout the course of his career.

Australia reach second successive WTC Final

Meanwhile, Australia clinched the series 3-1 and made it to its second successive World Test Championship Final. They are also the defending WTC Champions, having defeated India in the final on the previous occasion. Australia will now face South Africa in the WTC Final in June. The match will be played at Lord's, London.

It was also the first time that India were unable to make it to the WTC final. The Men in Blue were the finalists on the first two occasions but lost to New Zealand and Australia in the summit clash respectively.