One cannot simply forget the grand finale of Champions Trophy, despite being the trophy favorites, India lost the tournament with the gradual decline in the top order batsmen. It must be mentioned that the credits to the Pakistan’s victory belong to its young bowler Mohammad Amir, who gracefully bowled the lead Indian batsmen with ease.
If there’s something that could console the agony, then it is India’s stellar victory in the Galle series. With the impressive strike rate from the opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan and then came Chiteshwar Pujara, India’s score swung to the staggering 600, thanks to Dhawan’s and Pujara’s centuries.
The whole country is now too glad for the easy victory against Sri Lanka. Skipper Virat Kohli & Co are praised throughout the country for their ardent dedication.
While the immense positive vibes are strolling on the whole team by the experts and the fraternity, former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly opined that the series went good, but Kohli is not yet tested in the captain’s point of view. He has to do much in coming days.
Talking about this, Ganguly was quoted addressing a popular media channel, he said, “India is perfectly balanced with so much firepower in their batting, bowling, and fielding. Sri Lanka on the other hand, have a lot to worry about.”
He then added: “The last two years they have been wonderful, especially away from home. Under Anil, they won everything in the West Indies and then came the home season. I feel India won’t be challenged in these conditions. Kohli is absolutely right when he said in the post match ceremony that ‘they have been clinical in their performance.”
This former skipper then stated that Kohli’s capability will be tested when the team plays against the stud squads like South Africa, Australia, and England, where India’s record hasn’t been great from past decade.
Ganguly added, “Virat hasn’t been tested yet. Sri Lanka is probably not the strongest Test side at the moment. For me, the fans as well as for Virat Kohli himself, the yardstick will be how well his side performs in South Africa, Australia, and England. Sri Lanka has to think about on how to get batsmen like Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane out. If they don’t bowl well they will have to field a lot in these hot and humid conditions.”
With a fine 1-0 lead in the three match series, India will now play the second test against Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo on August 3rd.