Sourav Ganguly Dadagiri Moments: Naseer Hussain, the former England captain had once famously quipped about Sourav Ganguly’s aggression. He said, “Ganguly is painfully arrogant and that’s the best thing that could happen to Indian cricket.” Hussain felt without Ganguly’s aggressive nature of play teams like Australia would bully India into submission every single time.
For more Cricket News and Updates Join our Telegram Channel
A glowing tribute:
There could not have been a way better way to tip one’s hat to Ganguly than Hussain’s words. Indian cricket will forever be remembered pre-2000 and post-2000. As it was in 2000 when Sourav Chandidas Ganguly became the Indian captain. Indian cricket has never been the same again.
A captain who lifted a nation:
Ganguly took over captaincy reigns when the morale of the country with respect to cricket was at an all-time low. The match-fixing saga had broken the trust of the fans. But Ganguly’s team slowly started winning the fans back. India not only became strong at home but also was a force overseas. They were easily among the top-3 teams when it came to touring in Tests during that phase. Ganguly played a pivotal role in the side’s ability to believe that they can from anywhere and they can win anywhere.
The aggressive captaincy style:
Ganguly was a fierce leader. He was well respected across the cricketing circles. His teammates knew they had the captain’s backing to the hilt. An entire golden generation of cricketers made their debut under Ganguly. Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, and MS Dhoni are all products of his time. The aggressive nature of his leadership often kept the opposition on the edge. He engaged in many fierce battles during his playing days.
We look back at a few timeless Sourav Ganguly Dadagiri Moments:
#1 Asking Russell not to venture into the danger area
India and Sri Lanka were declared the joint-winners of the champions trophy in 2002 after rain played spoilsport for two consecutive days. It was during this game that Ganguly had a heated argument with Russell Arnold. In the end overs of the innings, Arnold was taking 2-3 steps onto the pitch. Ganguly notching this immediately asked Arnold not to venture into danger area of the pitch. The banter got the crowd going and Arnold himself laughed it out when asked about it recently!
#2 Ganguly’s answer to sweet-chin music
India was heading for its most difficult tour so far under Ganguly’s captaincy. It was the tour to Australia in 2003-04. India had lost all the Test series they had played in Australia until then. They last won a Test in 1981. The Aussie media had mocked Ganguly for his ‘speculated’ weakness against the short-pitch ball. They coined the term ’sweet-chin’ music.
Ganguly in his usual style answered his critics in stunning style. He scored a fantastic 144 at Gabba, Brisbane to put Australia on the back foot in the very first Test. India went on to draw the historic series 1-1. He went on to earn the respect of Australian media and fans during this tour.
#3 The greatest ODI visual of the 21st century
Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni lifting their World Cup trophies is a golden sight that Indian fans will never forget. But if there is one visual that inspired a whole generation of cricket-loving people it was Ganguly’s t-shirt unfurling celebration at the Lords’ balcony. In what was a passionate rebuttal to Andrew Flintoff’s earlier gimmick in Mumbai, Ganguly showed what winning means to him.
India chased down a record score of 326 in the Natwest series final setting off a series of wild emotions from the captain and his troops. It remains one of the biggest watershed moments in Indian cricketing history!
