'I see him coming back and doing well' - Sourav Ganguly backs Virat Kohli amidst his rough phase with the bat

India’s star batter Virat Kohli is going through a tough phase and a minor groin injury has only made things worse for the superstar. The situation has been worrisome for quite some time now as Kohli’s last century came way back in 2019. But BCCI President and former India cricketer Sourav Ganguly has backed the former Indian skipper and believes that Kohli will be back on track very soon.

In his recent outing against England in the ongoing multi-format series, the 33-year-old scored a total of 31 runs in the one-off Test, both innings combined. In the three-match T20I series, he was among the other senior players who missed the first game, and then, he managed to score just 12 runs in the two games. As for the ODI series, the groin injury made him sit out of the first match and his inclusion in the second game is not confirmed yet.

“Of course, look at the numbers he has got in international cricket that doesn’t happen without ability and quality. Yes, he has had a tough time and he knows that. He has been a great player himself. He himself knows by his own standards it has not been good and I see him coming back and doing well. But he has got to find his way and become successful, which he has been for the last 12-13 years or more and only Virat Kohli can do that,” Ganguly was quoted as saying by NDTV.

As a sportsman, you just need to listen, be aware of what it is and just go and play your game: Ganguly

While Kohli has been backed by several former cricketers and pundits amidst his poor form, he has also received some harsh criticism from legendary cricketers like Kapil Dev and Venkatesh Prasad, who doubted his inclusion in the Indian T20I setup. In the recent T20I games, Kohli managed to score 1 and 11 runs in the two games respectively. But Ganguly feels every player goes through a phase when his or her form is deserted and reckoned Virat Kohli will be back in his usual form soon.

“These things will happen in sport. It has happened to everybody. It has happened to Sachin, It has happened to Rahul, it has happened to me, it has happened to Kohli. It is going to happen to future players. That’s part and parcel of sport and I think as a sportsman you just need to listen, be aware of what it is and just go and play your game, ” explained Ganguly.