Instilled aggression into the team:
Team India were known to be bullies even in their own backyard.
They were never a team that top teams were afraid to play before Ganguly took over but as soon as he did, it all changed. As already mentioned, he demanded respect to his side even away home and showed teams like Australia that they belong at the greatest stage.
He was never bullied by the opponents in his time and always had an upper-hand over his counterpart. He was smart and knew how to divert his aggression and taught to all his team-mates as he changed the entire approach of the side towards the sport.
Dhoni on the other hand took over a team that was brimming with aggression which suited his calm approach as he managed to balance it and take India that step further.