Sourav Ganguly helped shape India as one of the modern superpowers in cricket as he transformed the side into world-beaters in a very tough time.
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The start of the 21st century was a tough time for India and cricket. The match-fixing scandal shook the foundations of cricket in the country and rattled the fans immensely. In terms of performance, the Indian cricket team had still not broken the mould of the ‘Tigers at Home, Lambs Abroad’ situation. On the other hand, Australia were the greatest team on the planet and decimating opponents everywhere. With Indian cricket at its lowest ebb, it needed someone spectacular to ensure the dark clouds lifted.
Sourav Ganguly, born on July 8, assumed the reigns of captaincy at a time when Indian cricket needed direction. The left-hander had already made a mark as a batsman in world cricket with a century on debut against England in Lord’s. In his first four years, he had established himself as a brilliant ODI opener and Test player. Now, it was time to assume the role of captaincy at a very tough time.
After starting his captaincy debut on an impressive note with wins over Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, the real Test came when Australia visited India. Under Steve Waugh, the team was on a 15-match winning streak in Tests. That soon became 16 when Australia demolished India by 10 wickets at the Wankhede stadium. It seemed it would only be a matter of time before Australia made it 17. But, no one told this to Ganguly.
Ganguly had already ruffled Steve Waugh’s feathers by appearing late for the toss. But, in a calculated ploy of gamesmanship, the plan had worked. Australia held the upper hand as they notched up 445. India was bowled out for 171 and staring at imminent defeat. But, a magnificent 376-run stand between VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid scripted a magnificent turnaround. Laxman’s 281 and Dravid’s 180 put pressure on Australia. Harbhajan Singh, who had taken a hat-trick in the first innings, then took six in the second innings as India won by 171 runs in the most dramatic circumstances.
The win in Kolkata was the catalyst Ganguly needed in his captaincy. In the third and final Test, India won by two wickets thanks to Harbhajan’s 15 wickets in the match and Sachin Tendulkar’s brilliant century. The 2-1 series win gave Indian fans the much-needed boost and they backed their team to the hilt.
In the next year, a peculiar trend emerged under Ganguly’s captaincy. They had started to win overseas, but they never landed the finishing blows. In Zimbabwe, they won the first Test only to lose the second and draw the series 1-1. The situation was almost similar in Sri Lanka. They won the second Test after losing the first thanks to Ganguly and Dravid’s efforts in Kandy. But, in the final Test, they lost. In the five-match series against West Indies, India won a Test in the Caribbean after 28 years. The joy was short-lived as they lost the Barbados and Jamaica Tests. In that period, India won against England and Zimbabwe at home but lost to South Africa.
In the Port Elizabeth Test, many Indian players were fined by the match referee for excessive appealing. The outrage that generated threatened to split the cricket world apart. The third Test between India and South Africa at Centurion was deemed unofficial. Sourav Ganguly, in that period, got good support from the then BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya. It was this support that would prove to be crucial for India in the coming years.
The years 2002 till 2004 saw Indian cricket in an upswing. Ganguly led from the front and aided by Dravid and Tendulkar, India won a Test in England after 16 years. Although they did not win the Test series, the tour of England was a success. Young guns like Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif all emerged with their heads held high. The Natwest ODI tri-series was an exhibition in youth power, backed by the shrewdness of Sourav Ganguly. The crescendo would be Ganguly taking his shirt off and waving it wildly in Lord’s after India chased down 326 in the final.
After a tough tour of New Zealand, Ganguly and his team entered the 2003 World Cup as the cautious favorites. After being battered by Australia, India stitched together a string of seven wins on the trot to reach the final. In the summit clash, a misjudgment from Ganguly saw India throw the advantage away. Australia was boosted by a brilliant 140 from Ricky Ponting as they reached 359/2. India was never in the hunt and they lost by 125 runs.
The year 2003 saw Ganguly at his finest. In the first Test against Australia in Brisbane, Ganguly smashed 144 and led from the front in Australia’s fortress. During the second Test, Dravid’s 233 and unbeaten 72 in Adelaide saw India win for the first time in Australia after 22 years. However, a catastrophic batting collapse in Melbourne saw India lose the Test. India had Australia on the ropes in Sydney with Tendulkar scoring 241. But, the bowling lacked penetration on the final day and India had to be content with a drawn series.
In 2004, India toured Pakistan after a gap of 15 years. Ganguly once again showed his captaincy prowess by helping India win the five-match ODI series 3-2. After sustaining an injury, Dravid took the captaincy realms for the first two Tests. India won in Multan but lost heavily in Lahore. Ganguly came back for the final Test and India achieved history.
Dravid hit 270 and a brilliant bowling performance saw India win for the first time in Pakistan. That was as good as it got for Ganguly. Under Greg Chappell, Ganguly’s downward time began. He was sacked as captain and left out of the team for some time due to poor form.
Ganguly ended his career with over 11000 ODI runs and over 7200 Test runs. Under his captaincy, India emerged as the leading team in cricket. Gone were the ‘Tigers at Home, Lambs abroad’ phrase. MS Dhoni carried the legacy of Ganguly and molded India into a superpower. Dhoni is hailed as the best captain. But, behind the success of MS Dhoni, the contributions of Ganguly cannot be ignored.
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