Virat Kohli's end near? Sourav Ganguly delivers brutally honest verdict on 'GOAT'

Former India National Cricket Team skipper and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly has delivered a strong verdict on the future of the modern-day great Virat Kohli.

Virat Kohli has been struggling with his form, especially in Test cricket, and had an awful run in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 Down Under.

The struggle of the right-handed batter surprised Sourav Ganguly, who was expecting him to set the stage on fire in the Test series against the Pat Cummins-led side.

Also Read: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: PCB breaks silence on Rohit Sharma skipping ceremony, India's refusal to print Pakistan's name on jersey

Virat Kohli smashed a ton in BGT 2024-25

Kohli started off the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 on a positive note as he slammed a magnificent century in the second innings of the Test series opener at the Perth Stadium.

However, things completely changed from thereon as the batter started to struggle while facing the Aussie pacers, and his outside off-stump weakness was totally exposed.

He was dismissed on eight occasions while chasing the deliveries outside off-stump, which raised serious questions over the technique of the modern-day great.

Overall, Kohli scored 190 runs in the BGT 2024-25 at an average of 23.75 as India lost the trophy for the first time in a decade.

For me, he is probably the greatest white ball player the world has seen - Sourav Ganguly

Meanwhile, Ganguly called Kohli the greatest white-ball player of all time but expressed surprise over his failures in the Test series against Australia.

"I think Virat Kohli is a once-in-a-lifetime player for men's cricket. To score 80 international 100s in a career is something unbelievable. For me, he is probably the greatest white ball player the world has seen," Sourav Ganguly said during a Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) event.

“But I was really surprised by the way he batted after getting a 100 in Perth. He struggled before that year, but I thought after the 100 in Perth, it would be a big series for him. But I think it happens. Every player has his weakness and strength. There is no player in the world who will not have that. It's how you adapt to your weaknesses as you play great bowlers over a period of time,” he added

I still feel there is a lot of cricket left in Virat Kohli - Sourav Ganguly

The former India captain, however, was of the opinion that Virat Kohli's end is nowhere near at the moment and he still has a lot of cricket left in him.

Sourav Ganguly said that the biggest challenge for Virat Kohli would be the Test tour to England in 2025 and he wasn't concerned about the batter's form heading into the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

“I still feel there is a lot of cricket left in Virat Kohli. A tour of England will be a big challenge for him. I am not too worried about his form in the Champions Trophy,” said Ganguly

"As I said, he is probably the best white ball player the world has seen for a long period of time. He will score runs in the tournament in those conditions. I think India is one of the contenders for the Champions Trophy,” he added.