5 Indian Cricketers Who Owe Their Success To Sourav Ganguly

Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly is arguably the best skipper India have ever witnessed. He is the man who revolutionised Indian cricket. He had a task at hand after the match-fixing controversy towards the end of the 1990s and the team failing to match up with the big boys on the field.

Sourav Ganguly instilled a sense of pride and courage among the Indian players. He also made them believe in their abilities and always led the team from the front. Taking India to the World Cup final 2003, and the NatWest Trophy victory are the landmarks of his career. The famous image of Ganguly waving his jersey at the Lord’s balcony will forever be in the heart of the cricket lovers.

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But more than that, his most significant contribution to Indian cricket was his ability to spot and develop young talents. The likes of Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag, MS Dhoni, Zaheer Khan were nurtured by Ganguly and grew into match-winners for the team.

We at Cricket Addictor will take a look at five Indian cricketers who owe their success to former India skipper Sourav Ganguly:

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YUVRAJ SINGH

Yuvraj Singh has been India’s favourite son when it came to World Cups. He has played significant roles in MS Dhoni-led Indian team lifting the title in World T20 in 2007 and ICC World Cup in 2011.

Battling cancer during the 2011 World Cup, Yuvraj returned with the man of the series award scoring 362 runs and claiming 15 wickets throughout the competition. However, the journey was full of bedrocks, and it was because of Sourav Ganguly’s immense backing, the world saw the best of Yuvraj.

Flamboyant in nature, Yuvraj struggled for consistency, which questionned his place in the team. However, Ganguly always believed in Yuvraj’s ability, which the Punjab-cricketer has recognised it time and again.

“Thanks Dadi for giving me an opportunity to play for india and live my dream you will always be special to me.” Yuvraj had written in reply to a Ganguly tweet after his retirement.

HARBHAJAN SINGH

Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh made his international debut in 1998 under the leadership of Mohammad Azharuddin. However, he struggled to taste success early in his international career.

It was in 2001, with leading leg spinner Anil Kumble injured, Harbhajan’s career was resuscitated after Indian captain Sourav Ganguly called for his inclusion in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy team. In that series victory over Australia, Harbhajan established himself as the team’s leading spinner by taking 32 wickets. He also became the first Indian bowler to take a hat trick in Test cricket.

Harbhajan Singh has always been vocal about Ganguly’s role in his career. The Punjab cricketer has also stood by his skipper during the tumultuous time in Indian cricket during 2006-07.

“You will always be my captain,” Harbhajan has said of Ganguly on many occasions.

Despite not being on the radar of the selectors in recent times, Harbhajan is India’s best off-spinner of the 21st century. He has played 103 Tests, 236 ODIs, and 28 T20Is for India claiming 707 wickets across the formats.

VIRENDER SEHWAG

Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag is one of the most destructive cricketers of all time. Sehwag holds multiple records including the highest score made by an Indian in Test cricket. His ability to dismantle any bowling unit made him one of the best.

However, it was not an easy journey for the cricketer from Delhi. Sehwag managed to score only one run in his debut ODI against Pakistan in Mohali in 2000. But his career took a U-turn when the then captain Sourav Ganguly promoted him to the top-order against Sri Lanka in 2001.

In the absence of Sachin Tendulkar, Sehwag opened the innings and seized the opportunity with both hands. Noticing the potential the swashbuckling batter possess, Ganguly gave him an extended run which changed Sehwag’s life forever.

“Dada (Ganguly) backed us all the way. He told me that I must always aim to play for India. I made my comeback under Dada’s captaincy. We had the protection of the captain,” Sehwag always spoke highly of Ganguly.

Virender Sehwag finished his international career with almost 17000 international runs, including 38 centuries. He is only among the four batsmen to score two 300+ runs in Test cricket.

ZAHEER KHAN

Zaheer Khan is one of the complete fast bowlers, Indian cricket has witnessed. He swung the new ball and reversed the old, he did well on flat subcontinent pitches and relished the helpful ones away, and controlled all three kinds of balls well.

Making his debut in 2000 under Sourav Ganguly, Zaheer emerged the ranks quickly. He also had the backing of his skipper who believed in his abilities as a fast bowler with eyes closed. Zaheer has never let his skipper down and has been a pivotal part of the set up since the early 2000s.

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With age, Zaheer shortened his run-up but grew from strength to strength and played a vital role in the 2011 World Cup. He has represented India in 92 Tests and 200 ODIs claiming 593 international wickets. However, the institution was laid under Ganguly who gave him the confidence to succeed at the international arena.

ASHISH NEHRA

Ashish Nehra will always feature in the list of best Indian fast bowlers despite struggling with injuries. He once revealed that he had undergone 12 surgeries throughout his career. Nehra made his Test debut against Sri Lanka at Colombo in 1999 and his ODI debut against Zimbabwe at Harare in 2001.

His career stretched almost over 17 years claiming 225+ wickets in the three formats. Nehra was always at his personal best against England and also had his best figures against them. Despite being inconsistent and struggling with injuries, it was due to Sourav Ganguly he had a long international career.

The then skipper Ganguly always backed youngsters, and Nehra was among them. Playing alongside Zaheer Khan, they became one of the lethal new-ball pairs in the early 2000s. The tall and lanky fast bowler has time and again credited Ganguly for his success.

Nehra retired from all forms of cricket in 2017. He was in charge of the Royal Challengers Bangalore bowling department in the IPL.