IND vs SL 2022: Sourav Ganguly hails Virat Kohli before his 100th Test

Former India captain and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has hailed star India batter Virat Kohli for his stellar career so far. Kohli is about to play his 100th Test against Sri Lanka in Mohali, beginning on March 4.

Ganguly himself made it to the star-studded club of Indian cricketers who played 100 Tests or more, and completely understands what it takes to achieve this landmark.

He believes Virat Kohli is a sensational batter and is deservedly on the brink of a huge feat in his career.

Speaking with the Hindustan Times in an exclusive interview, this is what Ganguly had to say about the Delhi cricketer.

"To begin with, you need to be a very good player to get there. Very few people in Indian cricket have played 100 Test matches. It's a fantastic landmark. Virat is a great player and deserves every bit of it."

Virat Kohli went through a torrid time in England in 2014. But Ganguly was highly impressed with the way the former Indian captain bounced back and dominated world cricket for the next five years.

He added:

"His technique, his positivity, his footwork, his balance…I like all of that. Above all, the way Virat changed his game after 2014 in England when he was struggling. I saw that Test series because I was working as a commentator there. And he had a remarkable five years after that. That's what normally happens."

"Virat Kohli will come back and get hundreds" - Sourav Ganguly

Kohli last scored an international hundred more than a couple of years ago in the pink-ball Test against Bangladesh.

While he has received a bit of backlash for not getting that elusive 71st international hundred, Ganguly feels it is just a matter of time before the 33-year-old is back to his very best.

In this regard, the 49-year-old stated:

"He will come back and get hundreds. I know about all this talk, with him not getting a hundred for over two years. But he is too good a player to consistently go through this. He will get past this phase too.

"He knows how to get hundreds, otherwise he would not have got 70 of them. As a former player, I know he will start scoring them again. He has enormous ability, so it's a matter of time."

The impending first Test between India and Sri Lanka in Mohali will be the first time in seven years that Kohli will be playing a Test match without the added burden of captaincy.