"O Captain, My Captain!" - A tribute to Sourav Ganguly as he turns 46 today

The Indian cricket team has always been a force to reckon with when they are playing at home. However, the Indian team a few years back wasn’t half as good as the present team when it came to playing overseas. The time period that is being referred to is the era before Sourav Ganguly was appointed as captain in Tests.

Despite the presence of stalwarts in the squad over the years, for some reason or the other, Indians had a miserable record abroad and lacked the ability to win matches at crucial stages. Change is the only constant, they say. For Indian cricket team, it was Sourav Ganguly.

Popularly known as Dada which means elder brother, Ganguly laid the foundation to India’s success overseas and instilled a winning attitude in the team that has gone on to become a norm in the generations to follow.

No one ever doubted Ganguly’s prowess as a player but what came as a boon to the nation was his leadership skills. After the match-fixing exposes in 2000, Indian cricket was sloping downward and was in a dire need of a resurrection.

Ganguly took charge and went on to lead India to glorious victories and even the World Cup final in 2003. While India faced defeat against the Australians in the finale, Ganguly made sure not to let Australia off the hook so easily in the coming years.

Whether touring Australia or hosting them in familiar conditions, India fought back hard and denied Aussies the comfort of winning, which they had gotten accustomed to.

“When you see an Indian side with Ganguly in the line-up, you know it’s game on. You don’t have to like or dislike him. You have to respect him,” said former Australian captain Steve Waugh.

While the world feared the mighty Australians, Ganguly had the audacity to give it back to the Aussies and not be easily pushed over when they resorted to bullying. What irked Waugh for years was the fact that Ganguly made him wait for the toss on several occasions.

To gain respect from your opponents is a trait only acquired by champions and Ganguly for sure is one in all aspects. He led from the front, backed his players and gave it back to the opposition when they tried to consider India inferior.

Remember one of his advertisements where he said, “Apne Dada ko bhule to nahin”? (I hope you haven’t forgotten your Dada). The answer to that will be a simple, “How can we?"

“I'm ready to die for such a captain,” said Yuvraj Singh. For players like Yuvi and a billion fans, you’ll always be “O Captain, My Captain!”

As far as the question of being the greatest captain for India is concerned, there are always comparisons between Ganguly and Dhoni. What matters for Indian cricket and its fans is that both these superstars have made India a force to be reckoned with.

While Dhoni has won all the major ICC tournaments and several series for India, it was Ganguly who backed Dhoni in his formative days and recognised the talent that the lad from Jharkhand possessed.

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So what’s the on-field memory of Sourav Ganguly that you cherished the most? Was it the iconic celebration at Lord’s or the team huddle that got the Men in Blue going together? Hitting sixes out of the ground or backing his players come what may? Share your thoughts in the comments section and don't forget to wish him a happy birthday today!