Ganguly backs Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli to return to form in Champions Trophy
Champions Trophy: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly backed senior India batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to return to form during the ICC tournament. Ganguly also felt that India are not the outright favourites to lift the ICC title.
by Anirban Sinha Roy · India TodayIn Short
- Champions Trophy starts on February 19, 2025
- India are playing a 3-match ODI series before Champions Trophy
- Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will return in the ODI series vs England
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli might have had a tough time in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but that has not made Sourav Ganguly lose faith in the batters. Speaking exclusively to India Today on Sunday, February 2, the former India captain said that the senior India players will make a strong comeback in the Champions Trophy.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli returned to the Ranji Trophy in January in a bid to revive their red-ball careers. Both players struggled in their outings after making a return to the domestic tournament following a long hiatus.
The senior India duo will return to the international arena in the 3-match ODI series against England, which is set to start on February 6. India will hope to continue their momentum from the last ICC tournament, which they won in the Caribbean islands.
"In white-ball cricket, both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are big cricketers. We hope the wickets in the Champions Trophy will be good, especially in Dubai. They’ve done really well in past World Cups in white-ball cricket," Sourav Ganguly said in Kolkata on Sunday, February 2.
"Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will perform well. In the upcoming series, they will play well. They may not have played well in Australia, but they will definitely do well in the upcoming series," he added.
With the Champions Trophy set to be played in the ODI format, India will hope to build on their incredible run in the previous 50-over ICC tournament. India reached the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup and would hope to clinch their second ICC title in 12 months.
The former captain, however, stopped short of calling India the outright favourites in the Champions Trophy.
"India has won the T20 World Cup. In 2023, India was the runner-up in the 50-over World Cup. In the Champions Trophy, India will be one of the favourites, one of the contenders. How India executes everything will depend on that. India's white-ball team is very good," he added.
"All the teams in the Champions Trophy are strong. It’s tough to say now. India, Australia, England, South Africa—many teams are strong. Pakistan is also there, as the tournament is in the subcontinent. It will depend on who plays well at that time," Ganguly concluded.