5 times when Sourav Ganguly bullied the opposition
There are no two ways about the fact that Sourav Ganguly is one of the greatest captains the Indian team ever had. What speaks about his greatness more than his captaincy stats is the way in which he transformed the attitude of the team and changed the way the cricket is played in the country for good.Cricketers from India had a history of keeping their mouths shut even in the face of sledging, but since Ganguly took over as skipper, he taught them how to give the opposition a taste of their own medicine. And as we saw several times in his career, Sourav led from the front in this regard.Here are a few such instances where ‘Dada’ went on to bully the opposition:
#1 Altercation with Russell Arnold
Player who got bullied - Russell Arnold
The final of the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy showcased one of the famous instances of former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly bullying the opposition. Sri Lanka were batting first and during the mid-overs southpaw Russell Arnold dabbed a ball on the off side and set off in an effort to complete a single but had to return to his crease.
In the process, Arnold was guilty of running on the pitch and this was pointed out by then Indian wicketkeeper Rahul Dravid who approached the batsman. This led to Ganguly’s intervention and he was quick to let the batsman know that he could not tamper with the pitch by running on the danger area. An argument ensued between the two and there are no prizes for guessing who was more vocal.
Senior umpire David Shepherd, who was officiating in the match, had to barge in as he separated the two players. But the Indian skipper continued to give Russell Arnold a piece of his mind from the position where he was fielding.