Veteran Team India batsman, Sourav Ganguly, during his captaincy reign had played a pivotal role by leading from the front as an example. The Kolkata-based star holds a special place in Indian annals. To be précised, the southpaw had brought a revolution to Indian cricket. Sourav Ganguly, who had been one of the successful captains for Team India, had further backed most of the players who despite struggled early on. The star cricketer was at the helm of affairs for over five years.
Besides, his aggressive brand of cricket had further helped his teammates to make amends in their game. Known for his aggressive approach, Sourav Ganguly had led India over 200 games including Test and One-day Internationals (ODIs). However, some of the players didn’t receive backing from Ganguly.
The left-handed batsman had left an impact in the Indian cricket. Under his tenure as a leader, Yuvraj, Ashish Nehra, MS Dhoni, Mohammad Kaif, Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan had succeeded in their traits. The cricketers mentioned above have received ample support from Ganguly. Also, Harbhajan Singh had delivered under Sourav Ganguly’s captaincy who had received backing from Sourav Ganguly, who is fondly known as ‘Dada’.
Nevertheless, here are the five cricketers who could have backed by Sourav Ganguly during his captaincy reign:
Aakash Chopra:
The wicketkeeper-batsman Aakash Chopra hadn’t had success in the Test fold. Between 2003 and 2004, the right-handed batsman Aakash Chopra had featured in 10 Tests for India. He had managed to score just 437 runs in 19 Test innings at an average of 23. Chopra might have two half-centuries under his belt, but his defensive approach has somewhat played its part in bits and pieces.
Under Sourav Ganguly’s leadership, wicketkeeper-batsman were tested with most of the players failing to get a longer run. Meanwhile, Sadagopan Ramesh had done well with Virender Sehwag consistent with the bat. Between 2000 and 2005, India had tried as many as 14 Test openers which included Chopra. Under Ganguly, Chopra had featured in six Tests. He had amassed just 264 runs.
However, technically sound with the bat saw Chopra facing over 50 deliveries before giving his wicket. Given the volatile spot of the wicketkeepers, Chopra could have been given a long rope to don the gloves during Sourav Ganguly’s reign.