Sourav Ganguly's success as captain had lot to do with planning, anticipation: David Lloyd

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly is one of the most celebrated cricketers in the country. The southpaw brought about a revolution in the Indian team and changed the way the game was played with his aggressive captaincy. Sourav Ganguly also captained India and reorganised the team after the match-fixing scandal in the 2000s and build a fearless brand of Indian cricket which transformed Indian cricket.

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David Lloyd lauds BCCI President Sourav Ganguly for instilling fearless attitude in the Indian team

Over the years, Sourav Ganguly has received plaudits from the cricketing fraternity for the way he led the Indian team. Now, former England cricketer turned commentator David Lloyd has lauded the BCCI President for the transformation of Indian cricket. While speaking on the Sony Ten Pit Stop Show, David Lloyd revealed that he is a massive fan of Sourav Ganguly. According to him, Sourav Ganguly taught the Indian team that they will not be dictated by quick bowlers because they are going to find some of their own players.

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India had an awful record overseas but it all changed after the BCCI President took over. After Sourav Ganguly's appointment as the captain of the Indian team, India beat Australia and England in Test matches on their soil. The 48-year-old also led the team to the Natwest Trophy and the ICC Champions Trophy triumphs in 2002. Ganguly then helped India reach the final of the 2003 World Cup and registered Test and ODI series wins in Pakistan a year later. India learned to counter pace and bounce on foreign pitches and that David Lloyd reckons is one of Sourav Ganguly’s biggest contributions to the Indian cricket team.

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David Lloyd further said that it was always a suggestion that India, away from home, don’t like the bouncing ball. However, he pointed out that Sourav Ganguly went to Australia fully prepared for the bouncing ball. The BCCI President confirmed this point itself in his autobiography A Century Is Not Enough in which he wrote about taking a 'recce' of sorts in Australia in mid-2003, a few months before the historic tour of Australia in order to have a good idea about the conditions to plan in advance for the series. The visit was kept under the wraps successfully as only the BCCI was aware of it. 

Lloyd exclaimed India in India is extremely difficult to beat but one always felt that India away from home were not as dangerous and that the opposition got a good chance to win. Lloyd reckoned that Sourav Ganguly was the catalyst and added that there was the duo of Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar to support him in the cause.

Lloyd opined that Sourav Ganguly dared to play spinners such as Harbhajan Singh, since he was young and inexperienced that time, even on foreign pitches, which is a testament to his capabilities as a leader. He added that if you’re bringing a quality spinner and you’ve got a couple of pacers, you’re in business, not only in India but all over the world. According to Lloyd, the BCCI Chief has been a massive influence on Indian cricket and also the catalyst for them to be a worldwide force.

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