Sourav Ganguly: The Maharaja of Indian Cricket

"Dada, Dada, Dada." For any cricketing fan who has been to the Eden Gardens in Kolkata and has watched a cricket match in the early 2000s, such cheers should be reminiscent with the game. The atmosphere of Eden Gardens used

However, as fate would have it, Sourav was meant to change the past and create a new history of Indian cricket which will remain a legacy for generations of cricket lovers to come. I did have the good fortune of watching him bat live few years after his debut at the Eden Gardens against Pakistan. Hardly anyone would have believed that the person who was unceremoniously dropped after just one ODI in 1992, along with questions over his attitude, would one day go on to emerge as one of the finest cricket captains of the modern era.

Perhaps, it was this incident that was the backbone on which Sourav's mercurial rise and career would be defined in years to come. Sourav Ganguly, apart from being one of the best lefthanded Indian batsman India has ever produced, is also arguably one of the best captains who built the concept of Team India. Sourav ushered in the era where talented players were given a fair number of opportunities to prove their mettle in the dressing room.

It is said that the true test of leadership is in the face of adversity. As a leader, Sourav grew out of adversity and led the team from strength to strength. He built the team from scratch with the help of young, talented players such as Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan and Mohammad Kaif. His ascent to captaincy was in the midst of the match-fixing controversy and yet, in a couple of years, he had rebuilt the team into a formidable opposition.

The one thing that exemplifies him is his belief and desire to answer his critics with his performance. He belonged to the era of Indian cricket marked by the greats like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, V.V.S. Laxman, Virender Sehwag and Anil Kumble, and it is no mean feat to lead such legends. Sourav, as an individual, signifies several qualities which include his aggressiveness and leadership skills apart from speaking his mind without mincing words. He believed that as a captain, it was his firm duty to back the youngsters like Yuvraj and Harbhajan and was quite clear in taking a stand on such issues.

It is quite similar to a manager who ensures that his reporters are given the best opportunities depending on their skill sets. In his last international series against Australia in Border Gavaskar Trophy 2008, he scored 102 valuable runs (his 16th Test century) in Mohali, implying that there was still lot of cricket left in him. The 'Bengal tiger' was retiring on his own terms from international cricket. Normally, every successful professional and individual writes their own fate through their actions and performances. As individuals, we encounter similar challenges in our work life which has its own peaks and troughs. The leadership lessons that Sourav provides can help in guiding any aspiring professional.

There are valuable lessons that we can draw from his life in building a successful personal and professional career for us. His conduct has been exemplary and has always led by example. There is hardly any doubt that all 
of us would naturally accept and learn a lot if we have a leader like him in our lives.

Abhirup Bhattacharya/IANS