Former India captain Sourav Ganguly recently expressed his views on the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023 and the potential roles of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Ganguly emphasized that he does not believe this will be their last ODI World Cup, asserting that they can continue to contribute in major tournaments beyond this edition.
Approaching the twilight of their limited-overs careers, both Kohli and Sharma have previously tasted success in global tournaments. Rohit was a member of the victorious T20 World Cup squad in 2007, while Kohli lifted the ODI World Cup trophy in 2011. However, they have yet to claim a World Cup title together.
During a discussion on Star Sports, Sourav Ganguly underlined that Kohli and Sharma have the opportunity to participate in the upcoming T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy in the coming years.
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“I don’t believe too much in last time, first time. I believe in performances. I think they are 34-35, I don’t know what’s going to happen in the next World Cup. There are world tournaments every year – T20 cricket, 50-over cricket,” Ganguly told Star Sports.
He further emphasized that the focus should be on delivering exceptional performances, not only for personal records but also with the intention of winning major tournaments.
“It’s not like in the past when we started – one every four years and then the Champions Trophy came in. So it’s about performances, and I am sure Rohit as captain and Virat will be wanting to make it a big one, not from a personal point of view but from winning it. I think that’s the biggest,” Ganguly added.
Ganguly also highlighted the significance of performing well in high-pressure situations and cited examples of players who have excelled on the grandest stage.
“We at times forget that it’s not just about hundreds, it’s not about having a good tournament; it’s also about doing it at the right time. The World Test Championship was also a very important stage to do it, and good teams have players who do it on the big stage,” he further stated.
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He concluded by mentioning the memorable innings played by Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden, MS Dhoni, and Gautam Gambhir in previous World Cups, emphasizing the importance of key players stepping up in crucial matches.
“Ricky Ponting did it in 2003. Matthew Hayden did it in 2007. For Australia, in 2015, players stood out. Big teams will have players standing up in big matches. For India, MS Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir in the final in 2011, what knocks they were – Wankhede Stadium, packed house, it can’t be more pressure than that,” Ganguly concluded.
Ricky Ponting’s unbeaten 140-run knock in the 2003 World Cup final led Australia to a convincing 125-run victory. Similarly, Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni played crucial innings of 97 and 91, respectively, to guide India to a memorable triumph in the 2011 World Cup final.