Sourav Ganguly, better known as Dada, is one of the best captains the Indian Cricket Team has ever had. He is known to refining of world-class players who we know of today in the form of Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan, MS Dhoni, to name a few.
In the latest episode of Star Sports chat show Cricket Connected, wicket-keeper-batsman Parthiv Patel gave testimony to the fact that Sourav Ganguly is indeed one of the major pioneers who played a major role in revolutionizing the current Indian Cricket Team.
Ganguly instilled confidence among players – Parthiv Patel
He recalled the time when he debuted for India at the age of 17 years under the leadership of Ganguly in the 2003 Test-series down-under. Parthiv Patel highlighted Sourav Ganguly always expressed confidence among his players even in difficult times.
“I debuted for India at the age of 17 years against the Aussies in 2003,” Parthiv said. “Being a newcomer at the International arena, I was jittery in that Test series and consequently, had missed out on an easy stumping opportunity in the Adelaide Test.
After that, Dada made sure that the missed stumping opportunity did not hamper my game and my morale in any way whatsoever. I remember Dada used to call us in his hotel room in the evening to express confidence in us.
He used to assure us that no one will be dropped from the team no matter what and, therefore, we should not really worry about anything else,” he added.
The flamboyant opener from Gujarat also mentioned about the 2003 Brisbane Test against the two sides. Parthiv Patel further opined that having a captain, who believes in a Team, which Dada has done consistently over the years, automatically produces a sense of camaraderie among the fellow teammates.
“I was facing Jason Gillespie against the new ball and Dada was batting unbeaten on the other end having already scored a century. After every delivery that I faced, Dada legit used to walk down to the other end of the pitch to speak with me and appreciate me for sticking to the crease.”, he added.
