Sourav Ganguly gives mouth-shutting reply to Shoaib Akhtar's 'Kohli should retire from ODIs, T20s post World Cup' theory

Sourav Ganguly came with an absolutely smashing reply to Shoaib Akhtar's 'Virat Kohli retirement theory' that would make the former Pakistan speedster go shush.

Sourav Ganguly and Virat Kohli may not be the best of friends but both have shared the same goal: to take Indian cricket to unprecedented heights. Ganguly did it during his reign as captain from 2000 to 2005, as did Kohli from 2015 to 2021. They may not see eye-to-eye given their history, but Ganguly came to Kohli's support when Shoaib Akhtar made a rather interesting comment about Virat's future. With Kohli set to play what is likely to be his last 50-over World Cup, the former Pakistan speedster reckons Virat should call it quits from both ODIs and T20Is to 'prolong his Test career’. In an interview with RevSportz, Akhtar had said that with ODIs, and T20s out of the way, Kohli can channel all his focus and energy on Test cricket, which he can then go on to play for many more years and go past Sachin Tendulkar's record of a 100 centuries.

Sourav Ganguly rushed to Virat Kohli's aid after Shoaib Akhtar's 'retirement' statement. (Getty/Akhtar Instagram)

"I don't think he should play more 50-overs matches after this World Cup. Also, if you see him in T20s, it takes a lot out of him. I think he should play for at least six more years and break the 100 hundreds record of Sachin Tendulkar. Kohli has it in him to break the record. He should focus on Test cricket after this World Cup, and break this record," Akhtar said on the show 'Backstage with Boria' on Thursday.

Later that evening, Ganguly came with an absolutely smashing reply that would make Akhtar go shush. The former India captain did not see logic in Akhtar's assessment and backed Kohli to play as per his wish and desires. "Why? Virat Kohli should play whatever cricket he wants to play. Because he performs," Ganguly said in a mic-drop moment on the sidelines of a Denver event where he was announced as the 'Brand Face.'

Kohli's Test performances are undeniably impressive, aligning him with the stature of a modern-day great. However, they don't quite match the ferocity of his ODI accomplishments. Presently, he has amassed 8676 runs from 11 Tests, positioning him as the fifth-highest run-scorer behind the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sunil Gavaskar, and VVS Laxman. His record boasts an impressive 29 centuries and a notable average of 49.29. In 2018, Kohli was even honoured with the ICC Test Player of the Year award.

Shifting focus to ODIs, Kohli again stands as the fifth highest run-getter but in the list of overall scorers, facing competition from legends Tendulkar, Kumar Sangakkara, Ricky Ponting, and Sanath Jayasuriya who precede him. Yet, considering Kohli's current form, it is entirely plausible that he will surpass both Jayasuriya and Ponting in the near future. His chase for this feat involves a gap of 532 and 806 runs respectively. If Kohli maintains his current batting prowess, these milestones are definitely within his reach by the time the World Cup 2023 concludes.

Ganguly's message to Team India critics

The Indian team has copped plenty of flak for their recent T20I series loss against West Indies – their first bilateral series defeat against the team from the Caribbean in 17 years. Hardik Pandya, who leads the T20I side faced the most brunt for some questionable decisions he made throughout the five-match series. Youngsters Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tilak Varma emerged as huge positives but got buried under the unexpected series defeat. Coming to Team India's defence, Ganguly urged the team management to give more chances to such youngsters and requested the fans to get behind their players ahead of the World Cup 2023.

"Pick your best players. He may be a left-hander or a right hander. India have outstanding left-handers... they will find a place in the side. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma and Ishan Kishan. Then there is Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya... it's a terrific side. India is a country where there is evaluation after every game. They are a good team if they win and become bad after a loss. You have to live with that. It's part and parcel of the sport," added the former India captain.