'Sourav Ganguly gave the winning combination on a platter to MS Dhoni' - Kris Srikkanth
Former Indian captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth recently opined that Sourav Ganguly laid the foundations of a strong Indian team and gave the winning combination on a platter to MS Dhoni. He also mentioned that Dada was responsible for transforming the attitude and entire mindset of the Indian cricket team.
In the latest edition of the Star Sports show Cricket Connected, a host of cricket experts including Srikkanth, Gautam Gambhir, Irfan Pathan and Kumar Sangakkara shared their views about the transformation brought about in the Indian team and the legacy left behind by Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni.
Srikkanth stated that Sourav Ganguly was responsible for transforming the attitude of the Indian cricket team.
"He took over captaincy at a very crucial time. He was the guy who set the process of transformation going. He transformed the attitude and entire mindset of the Indian cricket team."
He added that the current BCCI president had formed the nucleus of a great side and handed it over to MS Dhoni.
"Sourav Ganguly formed a new team and gave the winning combination in a platter to MS Dhoni."
Gautam Gambhir observed that MS Dhoni had not left behind enough quality players for Virat Kohli apart from Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Kohli himself.
"MS Dhoni hasn't given enough quality players to Virat Kohli apart from Kohli himself and Rohit Sharma or Jasprit Bumrah now, not too many world beaters who can win you tournaments."
On the other hand, he highlighted the number of world-class players that Sourav Ganguly had groomed.
"Look at what Sourav Ganguly gave to Indian cricket - Yuvraj Singh - Man of the Series in two World Cups, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Virender Sehwag."
"So what Sourav Ganguly got and what he gave to MS Dhoni was much more than what MS Dhoni gave to Virat Kohli compared to what he got."
Gambhir added that Zaheer Khan, who was also mentored by Sourav Ganguly, was a huge asset for MS Dhoni.
"We don't talk much about Zaheer Khan. But according to me, Zaheer Khan was a big blessing for MS Dhoni and it was given by Sourav Ganguly. MS Dhoni has got the best teams, whether it be Test cricket or ODIs."
The left-handed opening batsman signed off by stating that MS Dhoni was lucky to have got an established Indian lineup due to the hard work of his predecessors including the Prince of Kolkata.
"Ganguly had to put in the most effort and after that Rahul Dravid and then Anil Kumble for a short period. MS Dhoni got the final product from all that."
Irfan Pathan and Kumar Sangakkara on the legacy left behind by Sourav Ganguly
Irfan Pathan narrated an incident from his first tour to Australia in 2003-04, where Sourav Ganguly sledged Matthew Hayden for having a tough time while facing a 19-year old Pathan.
"He asked Hayden what sort of a great player he was when he was getting beaten by a 19-year old. These things were not shown on TV but happened in between the overs. And I as a 19-year old kid was thinking that this is my captain who is backing us."
The left-arm swing bowler also highlighted that MS Dhoni had the benefit of getting battle-hardened players from the IPL, a luxury that Sourav Ganguly did not enjoy.
"Sourav Ganguly only got players from domestic cricket, MS Dhoni had experienced players and he got player options from IPL as well. Players who play in the IPL get to play against big players like AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli etc, so their thinking is different."
Kumar Sangakkara added that Sourav Ganguly had created a lasting legacy that helped MS Dhoni in winning so many ICC trophies with the Indian team.
"You can be judged on a lot of things but sometimes you have to leave something lasting behind. In that sense, Dada did a lot to create a wonderful legacy for others to inherit and MS Dhoni benefited from that."
Sourav Ganguly took over as full-time captain of India in 2000, with the shadow of match-fixing lingering around Indian cricket and the performances not up to the mark. It was a period when Sachin Tendulkar had given up captaincy and Ganguly had to build a team almost from scratch.
Sourav Ganguly had a few experienced players like Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath who helped him in this transition. But his biggest contribution was the backing he gave to youngsters like Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, MS Dhoni, Zaheer Khan, Mohammad Kaif and Irfan Pathan, and moulded them into world-beaters.