Sourav Ganguly is often recognized as one of India’s all-time greatest captains. Ganguly, often known as the “Prince of Calcutta,” was a mysterious athlete with an unrivaled off-side game. Alongside MS Dhoni and Kapil Dev, his aggressive batting style has helped him establish himself as one of the finest leaders.
India attained never-before-seen heights under Dada’s leadership and emerged as a formidable power. Ganguly transcended the game in India, whether it was via the confidence he imparted in the young players or the show of aggressive batting from the batting unit under him.
Under his direction, the Indian Cricket Team saw some of its most significant triumphs. The following are a some of India’s finest triumphs under Ganguly:
The 2002 Natwest Finals
No fan of Indian cricket can forget Sourav Ganguly’s famous celebration after India won the Natwest Finals from the balcony of the Lord’s. The finals exemplified everything Ganguly’s leadership stood for, from aggressive batting to new players taking the lead to the captain’s celebration that was the ideal form of retaliation. On the strength of two young men named Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh, India rose to the occasion and accomplished their biggest successful run chase at the time.
winning the cricket rivalry between India and Pakistan, which is probably the largest in cricket and is only rivaled by the Ashes, on their own soil. In 2004, when India visited Pakistan, the series was deadlocked 1-1 after 2 Test matches. Then came the decisive match, which was played in Rawalpindi. India overpowered Pakistan and won by an innings. Rahul Dravid lived up to his moniker by defending himself like a wall against Pakistan’s ferocious bowling attack and scoring a career-high 270 runs. Dada’s reputation and fan base soared when he defeated his fiercest adversaries in a series.
The stunning victory at the Eden Garden Australia in the 2000s put cricket there. It was never easy to overcome Australia since they had a ferocious bowling attack and a legendary batting order. India, however, not only defeated them but also rallied after being urged to continue. India achieved the impossible thanks to performances from Dravid (180), VVS Laxman (281) and a hat trick by Harbhajan, who claimed 13 victims in that match.
defeating Pakistan’s feared bowling lineup
India lost the 2003 international Cup finals against the powerful Australian team, who were ruling international cricket at the time. However, the squad headed by Ganguly had a fantastic run throughout that competition. The contest between India and Pakistan had the highest stakes of any World Cup game. Pakistan opened the innings and scored a very respectable 273 runs. But when Sachin Tendulkar came out swinging and hit 98 in only 75 balls to lead India to victory, the total seemed an easy objective. The game’s highlight, a duel between Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar and the Rawalpindi Express Shoaib Akhtar, is still spoken about today.
A significant turning point in India’s cricket career occurred during their 2003 tour of Australia when they lost to the World Champions on their own field. No one predicted India to win the second Test match against the tenacious Australian team in Adelaide, which is now regarded as maybe their finest away victory. Especially after Ricky Ponting, who hit 242 runs and helped Australia to a massive score of 556, gave a master lesson. But what followed were two impressive and tenacious innings by VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid, who made 233 and 148 runs, respectively. Ajit Agarkar also turned in an outstanding bowling effort, collecting 6 wickets in the second innings.
