Champions Trophy's Thunder Warrior: Sourav Ganguly

In 1992, a young left-handed batsman, fresh from his exploits in the 1990-91 Ranji season, made his international debut against the West Indies. He was immediately thrust into the limelight – for all the wrong reasons. Questions arose about his commitment and dedication, and he was dropped almost instantly after his debut. He vowed to make a comeback, and did it in his own inimitable style.

His name? Sourav Chandidas Ganguly.

Circa 2000. Indian cricket was in shambles, rattled due to the match-fixing saga. Incumbent captain Sachin Tendulkar had stepped down due to fixing controversy, and the side hadn’t been performing too well contrary to the huge expectations of the cricket-crazed Indian public. Key players such as Ajay Jadeja and Mohammad Azharuddin had been banned for their alleged involvement in fixing games for money. Further, there was a bit of a “negative mindset” among the team members, disheartened as they were by all the off-field drama. Such was the state of affairs when the BCCI anointed Ganguly to lead the side, elevating him from his previous position as vice-captain. As luck would have it, the ICC Knockout Trophy (now known as the Champions Trophy) was just around the corner, and it would be the first major ICC event that the Bengal southpaw would captain his team in.

The first signs of a well-oiled, cohesive unit under a new leader were visible in the quarter-final against Australia. With Dada at the helm, youngsters Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan brought in the never-say-die spirit that would be a hallmark of Team India for the next five years or so. Ganguly’s aggressive approach to cricket reflected in his captaincy as well, as the Indians fielded like panthers, thereby stunning the powerful Aussies. The captain was rightly credited with finding and nurturing this new breed of players who would eventually go on to become vital cogs in the Indian wheel.