Virat Kohli's absence will provide opportunity for others, says Sourav Ganguly

After a long tour to the United Kingdom, the BCCI selectors have decided to rest Virat Kohli for the Asia Cup. Rohit Sharma will lead the Indian team in Kohli's absence and the team management will try to test the bench strength during the tourney with eight months to go for the World Cup in 2019. According to Sourav Ganguly, Virat Kohli's presence in the team is definitely a strengthening factor but his absence in the Asia Cup will allow the emerging cricketers to showcase the skills. The Indian side is still a strong team to deal with even with Kohli's absence in the team.

“India will be without Virat Kohli. Yes, he is a huge pillar of strength but even without him this is a strong team. In the batting department, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma are out-and-out match winners in this format. Virat's absence will also provide an opportunity to showcase talent because with the recent failure, the No. 4 and 5 spots will be up for grabs,” Ganguly wrote in his column for TOI.

Writing about the match between Pakistan and India, Ganguly said that the Pakistani team has developed under the guidance of their new coach Mickey Arthur. Further, he mentioned that Pakistan had managed to subdue India in the Champions Trophy last year so the focus will remain on the match between these two sides.

“India-Pakistan matches over the last 10 years have been pretty one-sided with India dominating, but since the Champions Trophy final last year, where Pakistan beat India, many are expecting the contest to be different and for me it will be 50-50. Pakistan are a good side, they look an improved team under coach Mickey Arthur. They have always produced talent but have lost their way over the years in harnessing and giving direction to that talent. It could be different now,” Ganguly mentioned.

“Conditions will suit both sides. Pakistan will enjoy batting on flat pitches with no movement and they become more dangerous on such pitches than ones which assist fast bowlers. On flat pitches, one needs pace and this Indian bowling will be a handy one. Both Bumrah and Bhuvi can get it coming into the right-handers and, with low bounce on this pitch, batting will not be easy." 

Ganguly also believes that the Asia Cup will be a significant opportunity for MS Dhoni as well. Ganguly was quite surprised with the fact that Rishabh Pant has not been included in the Indian squad after his recent performance at The Oval in the last Test against England. 

“It will be an important series for Dhoni. It seemed like he had lost his way in the ODIs in England and it will be important for him to show the selectors that he still has it in him to keep the scoreboard moving at a good pace. There's been a lot of talk about him getting stuck in ODI cricket and it will be important for him to reignite his hitting skills,” Ganguly mentioned.

“I am surprised to see no Pant in the squad. The Asia Cup squad was selected before his Oval hundred and the way he batted in his last innings, I am sure he is ready for the ODI format as well. As, usual, there will be lot of hype about Wednesday's match, but for both the teams, it will be key to look at the entire tournament. Winning the Asia Cup, after all, is more important than just one game."