"If someone sledged, we started giving it back": Dasgupta reflects on Ganguly captaincy's impact on Team India

New Delhi: Former Indian cricketer Deep Dasgupta recalled how former skipper Sourav Ganguly changed Team India's response to sledging from their opponents, saying that under him, the team started to give it back to their opponents as well, and the 'I am the King' mindset of the batting legend rubbed off on the rest of the team as well.

Speaking on The Great Indian Cricket Show on Doordarshan, Dasgupta, who played for India in eight Tests and five ODIs, spoke on the cultural shift that happened in Team India's mindset during Ganguly's captaincy. Ganguly, in total, led India in 196 international games, winning 97, losing 79, and drawing 15. He was also one of India's most successful captains, with 21 wins, 13 losses and 15 draws in 49 Tests, laying down the blueprint and the team for future captains MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, who took the Indian Test team to greater heights.

With India's current squad known for its fearless approach on overseas tours, Dasgupta traced the origin of this combative mindset back to Ganguly's era, noting the visible change in the team's personality between 2001 and the historic 2003-04 tour of Australia.


He said, "Under Ganguly, if someone sledged, we started to give it back. Rather than saying, 'I will channel it', while we used to channel it, we would give it back as well. His nickname is Maharaj. So, he's always had that idea that 'I am the king.' And it started reflecting on the team as well."

Dasgupta said that earlier, the team used to "internalise and channel" all the anger in their performances.

"Now, while we were still doing that, we were expressing it as well. I think between my first tour and my last tour in Australia in 2003, you could see that change. Earlier, it was controlled and internal. But by the time we came to 2003, if someone said something, we would give it back," he added.

Ganguly's captaincy for India had some fine accomplishments, including a runners-up finish in the 2003 Cricket World Cup, the famous NatWest Trophy win in the UK and the ICC Champions Trophy joint win with Sri Lanka in 2002 (after the match was washed out). Under his captaincy, India also achieved famous Test wins at home, including the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2001 and memorable wins at Leeds in 2002 and at Adelaide in 2003.