Currently, the president of the BCCI, Sourav Ganguly is synonymous with cricket in the country for the last two and a half decades. Under his captaincy, the India team became a formidable force to reckon win, and his antics with the team made him one of the most respected members in the dressing room, also earning him the title 'Dada'. So, on the occasion of his 50th birthday, we look at five incidents that made the legend that is Ganguly.
Refusing to pick up water bottles!
During a tour of Australia in 1992, he was accused of refusing to carry water for the team players. Reportedly, Ganguly said that he had not come on the tour to carry water bottles. He was then overlooked by the selectors for three years. According to Ganguly, he was treated unfairly on that tour, as written in his book. The team manager also reportedly behaved poorly. He has denied these allegations vehemently
Took over the team captaincy in difficult circumstances
Ganguly was appointed as the captain of the Indian team in 2000. This was when India was battling allegations of match-fixing. Sachin Tendulkar relinquished the captaincy, and Rahul Dravid reportedly refused to take on the responsibility. This led to Ganguly's appointment as the captain, which soon ushered in a new era in Indian cricket. India started winning matches abroad. They won the Champions Trophy, made it to a World Cup final after 28 years, and beat a strong side like Australia at home. When he took on the badge, India were eighth in Tests, and under his tutelage, they rose as high as the second position.
Sourav Ganguly's infamous T-shirt waving at The Lord's
Not many know the background behind Ganguly's famous T-shirt wave at the Lords. England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff celebrated by waving a T-shirt after beating India in the ODI series. This was in Sourav Ganguly's mind when, in 2002, India registered a thrilling victory in the final of the NatWest Trophy, and that is when Ganguly did the same. As soon as India's winning run was scored, Ganguly took off his t-shirt and swung it in full force on the balcony of the Lord's Stadium.
Captains were made to wait for the toss
It is said that Ganguly was always late to the tosses. He often reached late for the team bus too. This habit bothered a lot of foreign captains. Especially Steve Waugh of Australia. Many had to wait for Ganguly and this upset them badly.
He was never afraid of the consequences
Sourav Ganguly gave preference to many youngsters when he was captain. Be it Harbhajan Singh or Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan or Yuvraj Singh. He lobbied for these players and gave them a lot of opportunities. When Sehwag did not perform in the middle order in the early days of his career, he demoted himself and made Sehwag an opener. On another occasion, the selectors did not want to choose Harbhajan but Ganguly was adamant. He left the selection room only after Bhajji was in the team. He fought for Javagal Srinath's inclusion in the 2003 World Cup team and called him back from retirement.