England vs India 2018: Sourav Ganguly Urges Virat Kohli to Motivate His Players

Former Team India skipper Sourav Ganguly, who was at the helm of the national team for six years blamed the dismal batting performance of the Indian batters barring Virat Kohli as the chief reason for their 31-run loss to England in the 1^st Test against England. During the England vs India 2018 Test opener, it was a sensational performance by Ben Stokes in an opening session of day four which shifted momentum towards the home team.

Also, the wicket of Kohli proved to be the turning point at Edgbaston in Birmingham.

Virat Kohli was the top scorer in the match:

The Indian skipper scored 149 and 51 respectively in the two innings to take India within touching distance of the victory target.

However, in the end, the Three Lions won crucial moments to clinch the match in the first session of the penultimate day. It was the second closest victory during an India-England Test match.

Well, Ganguly who is a part of the expert panel for the five-match Test series in England spoke to India Today after India’s recent defeat in Edgbaston.

“If you have to win a Test then everyone has to score runs. The other batsmen have to score hundreds as well. Virat played very well otherwise India would have been out of the match on the second day itself,” stated Ganguly. He further added that guys like Murali Vijay and Ajinkya Rahane have to step up to the occasion and star performing which they have done previously in these conditions,” Ganguly maintained.

“This was the first Test in a five-match series, and I think this team has the ability to come back and play well. Ajinkya Rahane and Murali Vijay will have to show some determination since they have scored runs in these conditions before,” he added.

Ganguly felt that it would be unjust to blame Kohli for his management skills. However, the former skipper felt that Kohli could have given them a bit more chances before dropping them.

People shouldn’t blame Virat Kohli for the loss says, Sourav Ganguly 

“I don’t think the captain is responsible for the loss. If you are the captain, then you will be criticised for a loss the same way as you are congratulated for a win. One criticism for Kohli is that he should give a consistent run to his batters and more time before dropping them,” said Ganguly.

He further added that failure against swing could not be cited as a reason for their consistent poor performances. Because it is what a batsman gets when he faces swinging conditions in the United Kingdom (UK).

“You can’t be excused all the time, and we have lost before in 2011 and 2014. You have to bat well. It’s a very well known fact that the ball will swing in England the same way as Australia is known for its pacy wickets. So if previously you have scored runs there is no reason you can’t now,” remarked Ganguly.

He further said that Kohli has to give confidence to his players.

“The captain should give confidence to his players. It’s his team, and he only can change their mindset. He will have to sit with them and tell them that if he can do it so can they. He should give them time and tell them to go out and play without any fear. It is true that after continuous chopping and changing of the playing XI. Players can get afraid that after all these years. They have failed to garner the faith of the team management,” he added.

England Vs India 2018: Players should be given longer runs says, Sourav Ganguly

Ganguly further reasoned players for different formats as one of the main reasons behind the poor performance of the team. He noted that batsmen from India, Australia and South Africa in the yesteryears used to play both formats of the game.

Hence, they had a lot of time to get back to form. In this team, not a single player barring Virat Kohli plays all three formats consistently.

“The good thing about the great teams of the past – whether it be Australia, South Africa or our very own team which won the Test series here in 2007 – was that the boys used to play both formats of the game – Sachin (Tendulkar), Rahul (Dravid), Viru (Virender Sehwag), including myself. So even if you played badly in one or two matches, you got a lot of time to get back into form at the international level. Playing and scoring 150 in first-class cricket can’t compensate for international cricket. In this team, no batsman except Virat plays all the formats. International runs are international runs, and they give a lot more confidence than first-class runs,” concluded Ganguly.