Mumbai: One of India’s most successful and respected former captains, Sourav Ganguly, believes that current India skipper Virat Kohli – under whom India have been unbeaten in last 19 Tests – has not been tested as a captain.
The comments came after Kolhi-led India decimated Bangladesh in Hyderabad by 208 runs to win their sixth consecutive Test series.
“He’s not been tested yet to be honest, as captain,” Ganguly told to India Today. “Let’s be fair on him you know we like him, we believe that he’s the man to take Indian cricket forward but he’s not been tested. Just like all of us when you go to England, Australia and South Africa you will be tested in your captaincy skills. So we’ll have to wait but as we know his home record is unbelievable.”
The former captain, however, added that Kohli has all the ingredients to become a successful captain.
“The signs are pretty much there for him to go and succeed overseas. He’s passionate, he’s hungry, he’s done well in Sri Lanka, yes you can say the West Indies were weak but he still managed to get past them.”
‘Dada’ also stressed that Kohli’s predecessors were also highly successful at home.
“They’ve been the likes of Azhar (Mohammad Azharuddin), MS (Dhoni), myself and Rahul (Dravid), we have hardly lost anything at home. So that’s the way it is and that’s the way it will continue to be in Indian cricket unless and until Indian spinners dip in the future which is a rarity. So from that point of view I believe he’s still to be tested before we pass on the judgement on him,” Ganguly concluded.
