5 Players Who Have Sourav Ganguly To Thank For Their Careers

Jul 28, 2020 at 2:52 PM

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5 Players Who Have Sourav Ganguly To Thank For Their Careers

If you are a die-hard fan of Indian cricket, you will remember the start of this century as a nostalgic time for the Men in Blue. One of the fiercest men in Indian cricket, Sourav Ganguly took full charge of the team and started to make things happen that the team could not even imagine. Sourav Ganguly took the team to the World Cup final in 2003 but even as India lost the game, it spelt the start of a new era in Indian cricket and has helped the current Indian team establish the position they have managed to at the start of the current year.

However, there was a transition in a few years with Mahendra Singh Dhoni taking the honours of leading the side from Sourav Ganguly. Dhoni has also given India a lot of memories, the World T20 in 2007 and the 50-over World Cup in 2011 to name a few.

The talismanic wicket-keeper batsman has always been criticized for his team selection and had to face a rage many times for dropping senior players from the squad. He helped transform the Indian national team into a young team but made sure that the core of the team still consisted of the best players from the previous era

Here are 5-star players who were rose to the international level under Sourav Ganguly and went on to impress under Mahendra Singh Dhoni:

5 Players Who Have Sourav Ganguly To Thank For Their Careers

Virender Sehwag

Image Credits: Twitter

The man hardly needs an introduction. The hard-hitting Delhi-born opener is arguably one of the best opening batsmen of the modern game. He is a fearless attacker of the ball who puts no price on his wicket and has only one thing in mind, to score runs. Sourav Ganguly made him open for India that led to his growth.

He came into the scene as a limited over batsman who did not fear the opposing bowler and managed to take the same attitude into the longer version of the game only to find even more success. The only batsman in the history to have scored 7,500-plus runs in both Tests & ODIs as an opener Fastest Test triple century in test matches for which he took 278 balls.

He has currently retired from all forms of cricket but was an important part of the T20 World Cup-winning team in South Africa in 2007. Surely he is one of the best openers to have played for India.

Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni
AFP

Arguably the best finished for India in the last decade, Yuvraj Singh came on to the cricketing arena as an electric fielder and went on to make his name as a fierce hitter of the cricket ball.

His has a number of innings he will remember in his career starting with the incredible knock in the Natwest series final where he helped India to a victory and gave the Indian fans some incredible scenes at Lords. He also talked Stuart Broad of England to 6 consecutive sixes in one over in the WT20 group game in 2007 and also helped India in their 2011 World Cup final with a responsible knock right at the end. He is one of the most loved cricketers in India and has Sourav Ganguly to thank for his career which started under him.

He is a part of the SRH squad this IPL but is out injured and will not be a part of the team up until the 6th of May.

Irfan Pathan

Irfan Pathan, Sourav Ganguly
Irfan Pathan, Sourav Ganguly. Image Credits: Twitter

The wily medium-pacer from Baroda rose to the scene when he won the ICC Emerging Player of the Year award in 2004 at just 20 years of age. He became a fan favourite when he picked up a hat-trick of the very first over in a Test Math against Pakistan on his comeback after being dropped for poor performances. He then had a good spell in the national side and took 18 wickets in a series against Bangladesh.

He was brutal with his swing with the new ball and reverse swing with the old ball and ran away with the’ man of the tournament’ award. He was in and out of the Indian squad since then and has played for a host of teams in the IPL gaining valuable experience in the shortest format of the game. The 31-year old is currently playing for the Supergiants under skipper MS Dhoni and will hope to impress the fans of the franchise and earn himself a recall to the national side.

It was Sourav Ganguly who brought him into the spotlight which once again shows how big a factor the ‘Prince of Calcutta’ was in helping young and budding cricketers when he was in charge of the national side.

Harbhajan Singh

The highest wicket-taking off-spinner for India, Harbhajan Singh is arguably the best off-spin bowler the country has produced. He made his debut in 1998 under Sourav Ganguly but was initially hampered by allegations surrounding his bowling style. However, he came back with a bang and showcased his skills with a sizzling performance in the 2003 World Cup.

He has ever since been an integral part of the Indian team and helped India to the T20 World Cup in 2007. He also played a part in the 2011 World Cup with all his experience and showed why he is the second-highest wicket-taking off-spinner in the World after Muralitharan. He is also handy batsman and has helped India with the bat also many times.

He is currently an integral part of the Mumbai Indian’s franchise in the IPL and is hoping to stay fit and make a comeback into the national squad even at the age of 35.

Zaheer Khan

Zaheer Khan, Sourav Ganguly
Zaheer Khan, Sourav Ganguly. Image Credits: Twitter

The best exponent of the new ball and the old ball in India even now, Zaheer Khan is one of the best fast bowlers to have played the game for India. He is a smart bowler with plenty of paces when he came into the Indian national team. Sourav Ganguly brought Zaheer Khan in the Indian team.

He has the happy knack of picking crucial wickets at the right time and has helped India in winning loads of games in the past. He was an important part of India’s 2011 World Cup victory and was an integral part of the campaign in 2003. He led the Indian bowling attack till a couple of years ago and has helped the current crop of Indian bowlers settle into the national arena in the sport. He is a dedicated sportsman towards the sport in India and is a part of the MRF pace academy that has produced some great talents for the country.

He came into the scene a number of years ago and is still playing competitive cricket in the IPL for the Delhi Daredevils. He is the skipper of the franchise and will surely help the country develop more and more quick bowlers over the years.

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