Sourav Ganguly backs Virat Kohli to lead India to CT 2017 victory

Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly has backed the chances of the Indian team in the upcoming edition of the ICC Champions Trophy. If the words of the former skipper are to be believed, then the Virat Kohli-led side is well-equipped to defend their title this year. India had beaten the English side in the finals of the Champions Trophy in 2013 under the leadership of MS Dhoni.

The stage is set one more time and England will be hosting the tournament again that commences on June 1. As per the quotes in India Today, Sourav Ganguly remarked that Kohli will lift the Champions Trophy. He admitted that it is too early to say that but backed the men in blue to repeat the history. Also, he cited Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya as the trump cards for the Indian team this season.

The kind of balance that those two players aid to the national side is something that is unmatched. Also, the bowling duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja will be worth watching out for. Ganguly noted that it will be interesting to see if India plays Bhuvneshwar Kumar or Hardik Pandya in the starting eleven.

“I believe Virat Kohli has the team to win the ICC Champions Trophy. Although it’s too early to say, it’s just the start of the tournament. There are a lot of good teams this time. England has a good side, South Africa is good, Australia is good, and also the conditions will matter. I believe India has a chance. It will depend on how they play,” quoted Sourav Ganguly.

“India has the advantage of Jadeja and Pandya, they are all-rounders. Jadeja can do a good job with the bat, Ashwin can bat and will be back after a long layoff so he will be fresh. India is very balanced. But I think India will play with five bowlers. Jadeja has been good with the bat off late, three fast bowlers and Ashwin-Jadeja. Whether they pick Bhuvi or they pick Hardik Pandya, will depend on how they bowl and perform in their warm-up matches,” he added further.

On the India-Pakistan game

Team India will start their title defense against the arch-rivals Pakistan on June 4 at Birmingham. Sourav Ganguly admitted that the match will be a pressure game. He noted that all matches will be high-pressure games. And Virat Kohli will know how to handle those since he has been in the position before and has often come out successful against the Pakistani team.

“It’s a pressure game, the captains know that, and they get used to it. Every game will be pressure, India-Pakistan, India-South Africa, India-Sri Lanka because these are all must-win games. Virat has been in an India-Pakistan game, he got a hundred in the World Cup in Australia in the first game of the tournament. He won’t react any differently but he will prepare,” conceded the former cricketer.

Lastly, he added that in the recent past, the Indian team has been dominating the results of the India-Pakistan encounters in the recent past. Also, he expects the stands at Birmingham to be packed house in the match this time around. Ganguly expects a lot of Pakistan fans coming to the venue.

“India has had the better of them, the sheer ability and most importantly India has handled the pressure situations better. It will be usual, the stands will be full. England is home for teams, India and Pakistan. Manchester is not far away from Birmingham. You will see a lot of Pakistan fans coming,” Ganguly added.