5 Reasons why Sourav Ganguly is India's Greatest Captain

Indian cricket might be dominating the world right now with plenty of quality available in all departments. The skill of scoring ample runs and picking up wickets, while also being an asset on the field is an absolute must. However, in order to reach supremacy, one has to respect the process and the journey which took place beforehand.

One of the key reasons why Team India has evolved into a force to be reckoned with is due to the role Sourav Chandilal Ganguly played when he was handed captaincy. The ‘Prince of Kolkata’ was given the charge at a time when Indian cricket was going through to its darkest phase. However, Ganguly’s attitude on the field transpired that to the rest of his teammates, who eventually won a lot of big games for their nation and put the ‘Men in Blue,’ back in contention of being serious contenders in the sport.

Here are some of the five reasons why Sourav Ganguly is regarded as the best captain for Team India.

5. Revamp after the fixing episode

As mentioned earlier, the match-fixing scandal in 2000 was one of the most frowned upon moments. With plenty of former Indian superstars being allegedly been a part of the immoral act, the masses had lost their faith in their team as well as the sport. With every poor performance after the incident, more and more fans kept questioning the integrity of the players. It was under this dark time, Sourav Ganguly was given the onus to lead the team. His interviews were quite evident in the fact that he was going to be ‘no-nonsense’ skipper. What Sourav Ganguly then focused on most was about building a team filled with youngsters and just the right about an experience which would prove to be vital in terms of winning games. That being said, the Ganguly and the rest of his teammates did one heck of a job by being a part of some of the most historic wins in Indian cricket’s history.

4. Backed his players

Sourav Ganguly was known for having his players backs. Zaheer Khan was given the nod to be the spearhead pacer of the team alongside the veteran Javagal Srinath. Ganguly sacrificed his opening slot in order to provide Virender Sehwag with that platform, which eventually made him one of the most talked-about batting openers till date. A young Harbhajan Singh was given the opportunity to prove his mantle against the mighty Aussie in the iconic 2001 series. Rahul Dravid was made to keep wickets just so he could fit in the batting lineup, while Yuvraj Singh was also handed a lot of trust as the next big thing in Indian cricket. Along with plenty of other examples, Sourav Ganguly’s ability to turn raw talent into a genuine match-winner was what made him a fine leader.

3. Aggression

Though the next generation might be a fan of Virat Kohli’s aggressive intent, but let’s not forget that it was Sourav Ganguly who brought that mindset in the team for the very first time. ‘Dada,’ as he’s called affectionately instilled the belief in his side that they could very much compete with the best. That competitiveness was quite visible with the way his team became more vocal and charismatic. The famous moment whirling the shirt moment at the Lord’s Balcony as a message to Andrew Flintoff after winning the Natwest Series was, or by giving the likes of the Great Steve Waugh a tough time is what made Sourav Ganguly a warrior.