5 things that might not have happened in Indian cricket were it not for Sourav Ganguly
Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly is undoubtedly one of the greatest leaders the country has ever seen. Widely recognised as the first Indian skipper to inculcate the spirit of fearlessness in the team, Dada ushered in a new group of players who were confident and never backed down.
Sourav Ganguly led the Indian team to 11 wins in 28 overseas Tests as well as the final of the 2003 World Cup, and the belief that they could win instantly instilled itself in the Men in Blue. From the NatWest Trophy shirtless celebration to the iconic 2001 Eden Gardens Test, we have seen the current BCCI President as the key figure in many iconic moments.
On his 48th birthday, we take a look at 5 things that might not have happened in Indian cricket were it not for Sourav Ganguly.
#5 We may have never seen a D/N Test in India without Sourav Ganguly
Immediately after becoming the President of the BCCI, Sourav Ganguly backed the concept of Day/Night Tests with a pink ball. The Prince of Kolkata organised the first-ever pink ball Test in his hometown ground Eden Gardens, four years after the inaugural pink ball Test in Australia.
The Test was a resounding success, leaving no doubt that D/N Tests are the way to keep the love for the longest format of the game alive. Although Indian captain Virat Kohli has expressed his reservations regarding this latest innovation, Sourav Ganguly has vowed to speak to him about the indisputable fact that D/N Tests have to be a regular feature of cricket across the globe.
After the first pink ball Test in India, Sourav Ganguly said -
"We wanted to do this for Test cricket. It is so important. People were not turning up for Test cricket. We did a lot of things (promotion) during and before this Test. It was sold out all throughout even today though the game was expected to finish early."