Sourav Ganguly over the years: The journey full of Dadagiri from 1992-2008 in pictures

Ganguly was appointed as the captain of the side post the match-fixing scandal that Indian cricket found itself in at the end of the 20th century. It was a courageous decision by the youngster to take up the captaincy after such an ugly and disappointing incident, but he did so with determination and self-belief.

The leader in Ganguly awakened, as he led the team to an ODI series victory against South Africa immediately after his appointment. One of his biggest achievements as the captain of the team came when India defeated Australia 2-1 in the 2001 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Ganguly with the trophy at the M Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai

The 2003-04 season was exceptional for Ganguly as a captain. He led the team to the final of the ICC World Cup 2003, in what was a truly inspired campaign.

After that, India toured Australia for a memorable Test series, where the Men in Blue won their first-ever Test match in Australia. Ganguly’s leadership was phenomenal through the four games, which eventually ended with the captains sharing the trophy following a 1-1 drawn series. His own performance was great as well, as he scored one hundred and one fifty in the series with an average of over 47.

A tour of Pakistan beckoned soon after, which featured one of the most dramatic final Test matches in recent times. The teams won two Tests each, and India powered through to a riveting victory in the decisive match of the series. Ganguly played just one Test in the series though and missed the rest of the games due to injury.

Ganguly’s men had a scintillating World Cup campaign before they were outplayed by Australia in the final

The next couple of years formed the toughest phase of Ganguly’s career. His public spat with Greg Chappell grew darker with every passing day, and finally ended with him being sacked as the captain of the team and losing his place in the Indian squad.

The tussle between the captain and the coach affected the dynamics of the entire team