Sourav Ganguly says Virat Kohli can hit a 40-ball century: ‘Play fearless, just hit’

“And in my personal opinion, Rohit and Virat should open for India in the T20 World Cup,” he said.

But at the same time, Ganguly said the need of the hour in T20 cricket is to play fearless cricket and Virat should take a cue from Rohit Sharma’s batting in the ODI World Cup and must go all out from ball one.

“It is not a drastic change. They have the talent to do it. You saw how Rohit batted in the 50-over World Cup. He just came and hit at the top. That’s why we were such a good side. He just put so much pressure on the opposition in the first 7-8 overs that it gave breathing space for the middle order. I think Virat and Rohit should do the same. They are great players,” said Ganguly.

India’s captain Rohit Sharma, left, and Virat Kohli run between the wickets during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup match between India and Netherlands in Bengaluru. (AP)

“For India, the most important thing in T20 cricket and I said this to Rahul Dravid in Australia ahead of the last T20 World Cup as well. ‘Just play without fear.’ India have a long batting line-up. You can always control the innings if you lose wickets, but just go and hit.”

Ganguly on Pant

Ganguly, who is also the mentor of Delhi Capitals suggests the changes Rishabh Pant must make to be a better T20 batsman.

“Khulke khele, Chakka maare. Chakka maarna bahut zaroori hai (He should play without any fear and must hit sixes, that’s the most important think in T20 cricket). Aap Travis Head ko dekh rahe ho ki nahi? Pehle ball se ghumaata hai (Look at Travis Head, he starts hitting from the very first ball. We all know he (Pant) can hit sixes. So just hit sixes.” said Ganguly.

Rishabh Pant (c) of Delhi Capitals brings up his fifty during match 16 of the Indian Premier League season 17 (IPL 2024) between Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders held at the Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam on the 3rd April 2024. (Photo by Ron Gaunt / Sportzpics for IPL)

Ganguly is confident that Pant will be part of India’s 15-member squad but says it will be interesting to see where he will bat.

“In sport, the most equipped and the better ones play. That’s what sport is all about. Pant is definitely in that bracket. I am sure he will go to the World Cup.

Ganguly on KL Rahul

Ganguly says he is also impressed with the way KL Rahul has batted against CSK in the last match and says all the Indian batsmen are six-hitters and they just need to find the method of playing T20 cricket.

LSG batter KL Rahul plays a shot as Rajasthan Royals keeper Sanju Samson watches during the IPL 2024 T20 match in Jaipur. (PTI Photo)

“I thought KL Rahul was exceptional at the top of the order against Chennai and did exactly as required. It’s about playing freely and without fear. That is a must in T20 cricket. And I hope Rahul finds a method of playing T20 cricket. Because players like Virat, Rohit, Rishabh, Rahul, Surya, Shivam Dube – there’s exceptional six-hitting ability, it’s enormous. That’s the way they should play. Just hit,” he said.

T20 is not for youngsters only

Citing the example of MS Dhoni, Ganguly also downplayed the theory that T20 cricket is only for youngsters and also revealed why he was not a member in the inaugural edition in 2007.

“We (Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly ) did not decide it,” he laughed.

“It’s nothing about young and old. It’s about how good you are. And that is important. There is no hard and fast rule for anything. The only hard and fast rule is talent, ability and performance. That is it. You look at MS Dhoni. He bats for two overs and hits four sixes. I would want him to bat more but just see how good he is.”

On Impact player rule

The Impact Player has been among the bigger talking points this IPL and many cricketers including the current India captain Rohit Sharma have said that because of the rule the all-rounders have gone out of the game.

“Good all-rounders are still playing, isn’t it? Hardik Pandya is still playing. You look at Rashid, he’s playing. He’s in the playing XI straightaway. So good ones will always find a place. Glenn Maxwell has played, now he’s taken a bit of a break. So Mitchell Marsh played for us, although he didn’t get enough runs for us. Jadeja plays for Chennai, and Nitish Reddy plays for Hyderabad. Russell and Narine play for KKR. Good ones will always be part because they contribute either with the bat or with the ball.”