Dhoni was surprised at the gesture of his
skipper and was more amazed at the faith his captain reposed in him. Dhoni grabbed the opportunity and scored a scintillating ton. Rest is history.

By Sanjay Bhatnagar

It was the time when Mahendra Singh Dhoni, after his debut against Bangladesh in 2004, had a rather unstable run. Suddenly, the Skipper of Team India asked him to bat at number three in One Day International, the place the former himself used to play. He was surprised at the gesture of his
skipper and was more amazed at the faith his captain reposed in him.

Dhoni grabbed the opportunity and scored a scintillating ton. 

Rest is history.

Virendra Sehwag, an exceptional talent, had some placement problems in the middle order.

He was asked by his captain to open innings in test match. An apprehensive Sehwag was assured of his place even if he fails. Rest is history. On the other hand, Australians cricketers, notorious for their sledging and on-field antics to destabilise the opponents, were aghast with the strategic sledging they faced at the hands of Indian players, till now the most sombre and quieter lot on the field. It was because their captain allowed them to adopt it, not as disrespect towards the game but as a ploy to drive home the point that Team India means business and is willing to give back everything as a tough opponent. In all above instances, the captain was none other Saurav Ganguly whose uncanny ability to take the fight to the enemy’s camp, aggressive streak to win matches and make every player realise his potential in the best possible manner, made him one of the most-revered leaders this game of cricket has produced.

His records as Indian captain may have been overshadowed by Dhoni but it was Saurav who turned around the fortunes of Indian cricket and made players believe in themselves like never
before. Donning the mantle of Indian cricket team in the difficult times post-2000 because the nervous cricketers were finding it hard to recover from match-fixing allegations and the crisis of faith loomed large on the sporting environment in the country. Under those trying conditions, Saurav not only brought sanity back into the cricketing fraternity but took Indian cricket to dizzy heights unearthing many new players who gave resplendent display of their talent in the years to come.

Cut to year 2019, Saurav is all set to head Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) , the apex cricket body of the country. No wonder, he immediately spelled out his priorities, first class cricket being the foremost followed by taking financial cause of BCCI to International Cricket Council (ICC). It
is for everyone to anticipate that what is in store for Indian cricket and its welfare. The scheduling of
cricket calendar will be another issue ,he is likely to take up with ICC earnestly .

There are a deluge of congratulatory messages from former and current cricketers who foresee a golden period of Indian cricket in the hands on ‘Dada’
”I have got no doubt that under your leadership IndianCricket will continue to prosper. Wishing you you lots of success in your new roleDada,” commented Very Very Special Laxman. Virender Sehwag is another fan of Ganguly who came up with “Congratulations Dada . Der hai Andher nahi. Great signs for Indian Cricket.

May this stint be an extension of the tremendous contribution you have already had on Indian cricket.” Forty seven-year-old Saurav Ganguly will, however, serve for 10 months only as per existing rules but this short tenure will bring in the desired results is a foregone conclusion.

Having served Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) for five years in an impeccable way is a testimony of his calibre as a leader, administrator and motivator. His new assignment augurs well for Indian cricket more so because of the recent appointment of another great Rahul Dravid as director of National Cricket Academy (NCA) , Bengaluru.

These two players have a knack for searching, grooming, nurturing and establishing the new talents. Come October 23 and it will be a dawn of new era in Indian cricket

*Writer Sanjay Bhatnagar is a senior journalist