'Just a 170 or 180 won’t win you Test matches' - Sourav Ganguly on India's BGT failure

India's recent defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) against Australia ended their decade-long unbeaten streak in the prestigious Test series. Former Indian skipper and ex-BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has now pointed fingers at the team’s weak batting lineup as the main reason for the disappointing loss. Ganguly asked for consistent and high-scoring performances in Test cricket to achieve victories.

The 2024-25 series saw Australia clinching a 3-1 victory, their first win in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy since 2014-15. While Jasprit Bumrah’s 32-wicket series haul was the highlight of the fixture, India’s batting struggles made Australia’s road to triumph much simpler The team’s failure to post firm totals was evident, as India surpassed the 300-run mark only twice in 10 innings.

Moreover, individual centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, and Nitish Kumar Reddy did not compensate for the team’s overall inconsistency. Kohli, despite a century in Perth, managed only 190 runs across the series, falling victim to similar dismissals as many as eight times as he chased deliveries outside off-stump and was caught behind the wicket.

Rohit Sharma was another major disappointment for the hosts. After missing the first Test due to personal reasons, Rohit scored just 31 runs in the remaining matches before stepping down for the fifth Test in Sydney owing to his poor return.

Speaking at an event hosted by the Calcutta Sports Journalists’ Club, Sourav Ganguly highlighted India’s inability to set challenging targets as a crucial factor in the series loss. 

“The team didn’t bat well. In Test cricket, you need to bat well and put up decent totals. Just a 170 or 180 won’t win you Test matches. You have to try and score a minimum of 350-400 if you’re to win a Test,” Ganguly said.

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Everyone has to score runs, whatever may be the case: Sourav Ganguly

The former left-hand also addressed Kohli’s struggles and showed confidence in the star batter's ability to bounce back. He also stressed the need for collective responsibility rather than speaking about a particular individual.

“It’s difficult to comprehend as he’s too big a player. But I’m sure he will sort it out. I’m sure he will find a way to get out of it. You can’t just point out one or two individuals. Everyone has to score runs. Whatever may be the case, the team has to perform collectively,” Sourav added.

Meanwhile, Australia’s performances not only secured them the BGT title but also a spot in their second consecutive World Test Championship (WTC) final. They will face South Africa at Lord’s, London, in June. On the other hand, India failed to secure a WTC final berth and ended their streak of two consecutive appearances in the summit clash.