In November 2021, Indian cricket was experiencing significant turmoil. Virat Kohli had stepped down as captain of the T20I team and was subsequently removed from his position as captain of the ODI team, causing widespread chaos. The media was abuzz with reports of a fallout between Kohli and the then-BCCI president, Sourav Ganguly. Ganguly had allegedly urged Kohli to reconsider his decision to resign from T20 captaincy, but Kohli claimed he was not informed of any such request. The situation became even more chaotic. After India lost the Test series to South Africa, Kohli stepped down as the Test captain, ending his tenure as India’s most successful Test captain with 40 victories.
With the ODI World Cup two years away, Indian cricket needed a new captain. Despite the historical trend of grooming young captains like Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, and Sourav Ganguly, the BCCI chose Rohit Sharma to lead the team. Ganguly repeatedly mentioned that Rohit was initially hesitant to take on the captaincy of all three formats due to concerns about its impact on his performance. However, with five IPL titles and experience in India’s leadership group, Rohit, the only viable candidate, agreed to take on the role.
With Kohli having a massive fan base, Ganguly became the primary target of criticism for his handling of Kohli and for promoting Rohit as India’s all-format captain. Fans harshly criticized him for these decisions. Fast forward to July 2024, Ganguly’s vision proved accurate. He predicted Rohit’s success, and indeed, under “The Hitman,” India won the T20 World Cup, ending their 11-year-long wait for an ICC title.
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Ganguly may no longer be the BCCI president, but the former India captain still remembers the intense criticism he faced for his decision. Now that the backlash has subsided and India, under Rohit, are world champions, Ganguly points out that those who once doubted him have conveniently forgotten that it was his decision to appoint Sharma as the skipper.
“I was criticised when I handed over the captaincy to Rohit. And now that we’ve won a trophy under his captaincy, no one is abusing me. Everyone has forgotten that I made him the captain,” Ganguly said in a chat
Twenty-one years ago, Ganguly’s Team India came heartbreakingly close to winning a World Cup, only to be thwarted by the formidable Australians in the final. Though Rohit and his team couldn’t overcome the final obstacle in Ahmedabad, there is always a balance in sports: for every November 19 disappointment, there is a June 29 triumph. Rohit experienced such a euphoric victory in Barbados just 15 days ago. Reflecting on this, it’s clear that none of it would have been possible without Ganguly’s insistence on appointing Rohit as captain.
Ganguly wasn’t just instrumental in appointing Rohit; he also played a key role in bringing Rahul Dravid on board as the head coach, succeeding Ravi Shastri. Together, the Rohit-Dravid combination achieved what Kohli and Shastri, despite their commendable tenure, couldn’t – winning an ICC title, let alone a World Cup.
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