India's best ODI XI under Sourav Ganguly

Since making their entry into top-flight international cricket four decades ago, Indian cricket has come a long way and established itself as a formidable force in the limited overs arena. Indian cricket was fortunate to have had some inspirational skippers, who led by example and contributed immensely in propelling the team to greater heights.

If Kapil Dev's all-round heroics helped India win the 1983 World Cup, Azhar made the team an impregnable force at home. With the turn of the millennium, Sourav Ganguly took over the reins of the 'Men in Blue'. Ganguly, who never minced his words and spoke his heart out, instilled a 'never say die' attitude and made them a resilient unit. He turned around the fortunes of the Indian team in overseas conditions and made them competitive against top teams in their own backyard.

'Dada' led by example with his batting exploits. His aggressive style of captaincy augured well for Indian cricket. Under Ganguly’s leadership, India became a potent ODI team and went onto win some major trophies. The highlights were making it to the finals of the 2003 World Cup and winning the 2002 Champions Trophy.

Ganguly had a star-studded team at his disposal. He had the knack of getting the best out of each of his teammates. I have taken cricketers who have consistently featured in the Indian ODI set up and put up impressive performances. I considered their ODI records while playing under Ganguly's captaincy. The records are taken from 2000 to 2005 as the period coincides with Ganguly's captaincy. So it would be interesting to pick up the best ODI playing eleven under the captaincy of Sourav Ganguly.

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