Virat Kohli’s End Near? Sourav Ganguly delivers brutally honest verdict on ‘GOAT’

Former Indian national cricket team skipper and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly has given a strong verdict on the future of current great Virat Kohli.

Virat Kohli has been struggling with his form, especially in Test cricket, and had a horrible run in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under.

The right-handed batsman’s struggle surprised Sourav Ganguly, who expected him to set the stage on fire in the Test series against the Pat Cummins-led side.

Read also: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: PCB breaks silence on Rohit Sharma’s skip ceremony, India’s refusal to print Pakistan’s name on jersey

Virat Kohli smashed a ton in BGT 2024-25

Kohli began the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy on a positive note as he hit a superb century in the second innings of the Test series opener at the Perth Stadium.

However, things changed completely from there, as the batsman began to struggle while facing the Australian pacers, and his weakness outside the off stump was fully exposed.

He was dismissed on eight occasions while chasing deliveries outside the off stump, raising serious questions about the modern great’s technique.

In all, Kohli scored 190 runs in the 2024-25 BGT at an average of 23.75 as India lost the trophy for the first time in a decade.

To me, he is probably the best white-ball player the world has seen – Sourav Ganguly

Meanwhile, Ganguly said Kohli was the best white-ball player of all time, but expressed surprise at his failures in the Test series against Australia.

“I think Virat Kohli is a once-in-a-lifetime male cricketer. To score 80 international 100s in one career is an incredible thing. To me, he is probably the best white-ball player the world has seen,” Sourav Ganguly. he said during a Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) event.

“But I was really surprised how he batted after getting a 100 in Perth. He struggled earlier that year but I thought after the 100 in Perth, it would be a big series for him. But I think it happens. Every player has his weakness and strength. There’s no player in the world who doesn’t have that. It’s how you adapt to your weaknesses while playing great bowlers over a period of time,” he added.

I still feel there is a lot of cricket left in Virat Kohli – Sourav Ganguly

The former India captain, however, opined that Virat Kohli’s end is not near at the moment and he still has a lot of cricket left in him.

Sourav Ganguly said the biggest challenge for Virat Kohli would be the Test tour of England in 2025 and he was not worried about the batsman’s form ahead of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.

“I still feel there is a lot of cricket left in Virat Kohli. An England tour will be a big challenge for him. I am not too worried about his form in the Champions Trophy,” Ganguly said

“Like I said, he is probably the best white-ball player the world has seen for a long time. In these conditions he will score runs in the tournament. I think India are one of the contenders for the Champions Trophy,” he said. added