Team India's first Test match in Mohali will be a monumentous occasion for Virat Kohli who will be taking part in the 100th Test match of his career. It will be undoubtedly one of the better moments for Kohli who in recent times, has endured many battles on and off the field.
As he continues his search for a long-awaited 71st century of his career, Kohli's captaincy debacle alongside Sourav Ganguly that ended on a bitter note became one of the most talked-about controversies in Indian cricket's recent memories.
Despite that whole episode, there isn't any bad blood between Kohli and Ganguly as per the latter's recent comments. The BCCI president in a recent interview lauded Kohli's achievements as he nears the milestone of 100 Test matches, a feat Ganguly himself achieved in his playing career.
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The veteran, who is currently in London with his family, welcomed Kohli into the 100 Test matches club, while also stating that he'd try to attend Kohli's milestone game in Mohali on Friday.
"To begin with, you need to be a very good player to get there," Ganguly was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
"Very few people in Indian cricket have played 100 Test matches. It’s a fantastic landmark. Virat is a great player and deserves every bit of it," he continued. "His technique, his positivity, his footwork, his balance…I like all of that, above all, the way Virat changed his game after 2014 in England when he was struggling. I saw that Test series because I was working as a commentator there."
The former Indian skipper further stated, "And he had a remarkable five years after that. That’s what normally happens. I saw that with Rahul Dravid between 2002 to 2005. You see great players having these phases where they are at their peak. Sachin had many."
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For the first time in 7 years, Kohli will be playing for India simply as a player and not as a skipper. But despite this Ganguly was upbeat that the Delhi-born player won't bother about that much, while also wishing him well for his much-awaited 71st century.
"It does require some adjustments. But I don’t think it’s very difficult, he will come back and get hundreds. I know about all this talk, with him not getting a hundred for over two years. But he is too good a player to consistently go through this. He will get past this phase too," added the BCCI supremo.
"He knows how to get hundreds otherwise he would not have got 70 of them. As a former player, I know he will start scoring them again. He has enormous ability, so it’s a matter of time," he concluded.
