Sourav Ganguly started an evolution in Indian cricket that catapulted them from one of the darkest phases tainted by the vice of match-fixing to a revolution that challenged the entire world.
It wasn’t easy for the rebellious leader who was given the team in the middle of nowhere and he had very little resources to battle the contingency’s decline. However, the intial results under his captaincy were astonishing and if there was one superpower that he had up his sleeves, was his unwavering support for his fellow teammates.
He didn’t like leaving his players alone on the field and gave them countless chances to prove themselves. Despite the fact that not all of them could manage to come out with flying colours, a few of them went onto to rule the world.
In this story, we will take a look at five Indians who established themselves as Gods of the sport due to unwavering support from their captain in their darkest phases.
#1 Virender Sehwag
One of India’s most fearless opener will definitely be at the top of this prestigious chart as it needed a good deal of tinkering from Sourav Ganguly to bring out the best in Sehwag.
A guy who was shuffled throughout the batting order finally found his footing when Dada sacrificed his own opening spot. He also made Sehwag bowl a good deal of overs to make the selectors believe that even if he fails with the bat, his bowling arm can do the trick and South Africa fell victim to his menacing turn in the Champions Trophy.
#2 Yuvraj Singh
Needless to say but Yuvraj Singh, the man who helped India to rack up two World Cups, the man who started a revolution in the Indian ranks of fielding and most importantly the man who instilled fearlessness amongst his teammates, Yuvrah Singh was an absolute beast.
From his incredible innings against England in the Natwest final to his battering of Stuart Broad, Yuvraj Singh achieved it all and most importantly, he kicked cancer in its rear to emerge victorious. Sourav Ganguly blindly trusted him to deliver under pressure situations and it was a treat for the eyes to see the southpaw belting out one haymaker after the other.
#3 Harbhajan Singh
One of India’s most elite off-spinners, the man who changed the course of Indian cricket forever in every format of the game, Harbhajan Singh was one of Sourav’s closest wards.
From that mind-bending hattrick against Australia at Eden Gardens to that classic Bhangra after India managed to lift the ICC Cricket World Cup after a staggering wait of 28 years. Ganguly always believed that Kumble needed someone reliable to continue the destruction and Harbhajan was the key to this quandary.
#4 Ashish Nehra
Another important moniker whose career was plagued by too many injuries but it still managed to take flight, thanks to some hard-hitting belief from Sourav Ganguly.
As Srinath bowed out of the game, India had to rely on a couple of youngsters to dent other teams in the circuit and they were Zak and Nehra. Despite the fact that Nehra was very expensive, but his ability to bowl fast consistently made him a hot favourite in the side.
#5 Ajit Agarkar
This man could survive in the roster because of his sheer desire to hang in there and Ganguly’s faith in him. India wasn’t particularly cool with all-rounders and Agarkar served the purpose.
With a minatory inswinging yorker up his sleeve, he bailed India out on several occasions with some deep batting and crucial wickets. He was quite expensive but his inclination towards wickets made him a top contender in this list.
