Sourav Ganguly and the art of leadership

Some call him Dada, some call him the Bengal Tiger, some call him the Prince of Kolkata. By the start of the new millennium, he became the Czar of the Indian cricket team. Sourav Chandidas Ganguly continues to remain one of the most celebrated sporting figures in India, despite having retired from the game five years ago.

He had to make his team play so well that they can win the trust of the Indian public back after many of his teammates were banned on allegations of match fixing in early 2000. But exceptional leaders are spontaneous-cum-unselfish in their decisions and can blend youth and experience very well in their teams by communicating their respective roles to them.

In a way, Dada was blessed to have players like Sachin Tendulkar and Anil Kumble in his team, but he also empowered the youth such as Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Ashish Nehra and Irfan Pathan. Barring Kumble, all of them were a part of India’s World Cup winning teams in 2007 or 2011. He gave a new lease of life, especially in Test cricket to Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, both of whom suffered from poor form in the 1999-2000 season.

He was also a champion in getting under the skin of the opposition so that India could no longer be bullied by any team. Ganguly made the intimidating, champion Australian side sweat and fear them! India started performing extremely well in conditions alien to them which is a hallmark of fabulous leadership. Wins in England, Australia, Pakistan, Zimbabwe and West Indies were a rarity in the past. 

And a World Cup final appearance in 2003, that too in tough South African conditions with a fragile, beleaguered team at the start of the competition, shows how Ganguly backed his players to perform despite bad times. India for the first time since the Kapil Dev era, showed team spirit.

He also makes one learn that you do not need to be perturbed by criticism or praise. If you do your obligatory duty to the best of your abilities, you will win the respect of others eventually. True leaders are never poster boys who glorify themselves at the expense of their team or compromising whatsoever who are bowed down by the dictates of higher authorities. They make their own destiny by backing themselves in every decision they make.

He could be also called the ‘Godfather of Indian cricket’ or the ‘Winston Churchill of Indian cricket’, the war time general who saw an opportunity in the time of crisis and thus managed to bounced back. Paraphrasing Shakespeare, ‘Here was a Ganguly! Where comes such another?’