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Sourav Ganguly recalls the incident when MS Dhoni asked him to captain in his last test

Samarth Parikh
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Former Indian captain, Sourav Ganguly retired in 2008, after he helped India clinch the Border-Gavaskar trophy against the Australians at home by winning the series 2-0. The fiery Indian skipper played a vital role in taking Indian cricket to new heights during his time and is known to have shaped the careers of many young players who have flourished in their careers.

During his last test match at Nagpur, MS Dhoni made a gesture to ‘Dada’ which has been etched in the memories of Indian fans forever. The Indian team gave the Aussies a target of 381 in the final test. The Indian spinners, Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra were the pick of the bowlers and they made sure that India comfortably sealed the game.

In the last session, when India were very close to clinching the victory, MS Dhoni asked Ganguly to captain the side for the final time. Dhoni, who had just taken over the captaincy from Anil Kumble two Tests earlier, made this gesture out of respect and admiration for ‘Dada’, who had supported him early in his career.

“I was surprised when he said that, I told him you continue but he insisted that I do it, we were going to win the match anyway it was a matter of a couple of overs. I had switched off by then, fifth day of my last Test, it was the end but he said ‘aap kar lo’. I captained for a couple of overs and handed it back to him,” said Ganguly on Breakfast with Champions.

Ganguly also said that seeing Dhoni play for so long makes him feel happy because both of them are from a part of India where not much cricket was played those days.

When asked if he had identified Dhoni’s leadership qualities at first, Ganguly came up with a negative, as he explained that leadership skills evolve with time.

“I didn’t see the leadership skills in him, it isn’t visible from the outside only happens with time. But I was sure that he had a lot of power in him, he was one of those you look at and think he is courageous.” Dada concluded.

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