Virat Kohli‘s poor form has become a huge issue for India heading into the ICC T20 World Cup final against South Africa on Saturday in Barbados. Despite being the leading run-scorer in the tournament’s history with 1216 runs, Kohli registered his worst-ever performance, scoring just 75 runs in seven innings.

This dismal run sparked intense criticism from fans on social media. As the debate over Kohli’s place in the playing XI for the World Cup final intensifies, former India captain Sourav Ganguly has shared his views on the star batter’s concerning form.

Ganguly silenced Kohli’s detractors with a sharp response that reminded fans of his heroics in leading India to the ODI World Cup final last year.

“Virat Kohli is a once-in-a-lifetime cricketing talent. Despite his recent World Cup heroics, where he amassed over 700 runs, he remains human and will experience a period of failure. As fans, we must accept these occasional setbacks. He should continue opening the innings for the Indian team,” quoted Ganguly to PTI.

The former BCCI president boldly compared Kohli to Indian cricket icons Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, expressing confidence that the opener would deliver a standout performance in the final at Kensington Oval.

“Kohli, Tendulkar, and Dravid are regarded as icons of Indian cricket. A few poor performances do not diminish their stature as elite players. It would be unwise to count him out ahead of the final match tomorrow,” he added.

After a dominating IPL 2024 campaign that saw him win the Orange Cap with 741 runs in 15 innings, Kohli was expected to carry that sublime form into the ICC T20 event. However, the 35-year-old struggled, recording five single-digit scores, including two ducks, and failing to register a single fifty-plus knock. His best performance came against Bangladesh in the Super Eight, where he managed a score of 37.