Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly has praised the leadership skills of MS Dhoni in his new autobiography titled ‘A century is not enough.’
Ganguly, who led India to the finals of the 2003 ICC World Cup where they would go on to lose to Australia, wrote that he would have loved to have had Dhoni in his side for that tournament.
“I wish I’d (had) Dhoni in my 2003 World Cup team. I was told that when we were playing the 2003 World Cup final he was still a ticket collector with Indian Railways. Unbelievable!” Ganguly wrote in his autobiography.
Dhoni had made his debut for India in an ODI against Bangladesh in 2004 before going on to lead the country to their second World Cup title in front of their home fans in 2011.
Ganguly, one of the most successful captains to helm the Indian side, also mentioned how he had seen a viable successor in Dhoni ever since he burst on to the international stage.
“I had over the years constantly looked out for players who remain steady under pressure and possess the capability to change the course of the match. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who came to my notice in 2004, was a natural progression of this thought. I was impressed with MS Dhoni from day one,” he wrote in a particular passage in the book.
Ganguly had played his final Test under Dhoni’s captaincy.
The Kolkata-born man stated how Dhoni had proved his initial assessment of him was right through the course of his trophy-laden career.
“Today I am happy that my assessment was proven right. It is amazing how he broke through the ranks to become what he is today,” the 45-year-old wrote.
Ganguly also had interesting thoughts of Yuvraj Singh in his book where he makes special mention of his stupendous knock of 84 on debut against Australia in the 2000 ICC Champions Trophy.
“For me, handling him (Yuvraj) was never a problem. Yes, he would meet his friends and have parties. But that didn’t matter as he won you matches like the very first one-day in Nairobi.”
