Former India cricketer Deep Dasgupta believes Sourav Ganguly transformed the mentality of the Indian team, particularly in the way players responded to sledging and provocation from opponents.
Speaking on the television programme The Great Indian Cricket Show, Dasgupta reflected on the significant change he witnessed during Ganguly’s captaincy. The former wicketkeeper-batter, who represented India in eight Tests and five one-day internationals, said the team gradually developed a more assertive personality under Ganguly.
According to Dasgupta, the change was not simply about responding verbally to opponents. It represented a broader shift in confidence and attitude. Indian players, he suggested, began to show their emotions more openly instead of keeping their frustration within themselves and attempting to express it only through their performance.
Dasgupta believes the transformation became particularly noticeable between 2001 and India’s 2003–04 tour of Australia.
“Under Ganguly, if someone sledged us, we started giving it back as well,” Dasgupta said. “Earlier, we would say that we would use the anger in another way. But then we started giving it back too. His nickname was Maharaj. There was always a belief in him that he was the king, and that mentality spread throughout the team.”
He added that Indian players had previously tended to keep their anger under control and channel it exclusively into their cricket. Under Ganguly, however, they became increasingly willing to confront opponents on the field.
Dasgupta said the difference between his early international career and the 2003 tour of Australia was particularly striking. What had once been largely internal and controlled became more visible, with players prepared to respond when opponents attempted to unsettle them.
Ganguly’s leadership coincided with a period in which India achieved several significant results, both at home and overseas. He captained India in 196 international matches across formats, winning 97 and losing 79, with 15 drawn. In Tests, he led the side in 49 matches, recording 21 victories, 13 defeats and 15 draws.
His tenure included some of the defining moments of Indian cricket at the turn of the century. India defeated Australia in the 2001 Border-Gavaskar Trophy on home soil after a remarkable comeback in the Kolkata Test. Under Ganguly, India also secured a memorable Test victory over England at Leeds in 2002 and won at Adelaide against Australia in 2003.
Limited-overs cricket brought further landmarks. India won the NatWest Trophy in England in 2002, while the following year Ganguly led the side to the World Cup final in South Africa. India eventually finished runners-up to Australia, but their campaign demonstrated a growing belief that they could compete with the strongest teams in world cricket.
India were also declared joint winners of the 2002 Champions Trophy with Sri Lanka after the final was abandoned because of rain.
For Dasgupta, these results were part of a larger change that extended beyond statistics. Ganguly helped create a team that was increasingly comfortable playing with authority, particularly against powerful opposition and in difficult overseas conditions.
That foundation was later built upon by captains such as Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli. India subsequently developed into a formidable Test side overseas, while their competitive approach became a defining feature of the national team.
Ganguly’s influence, therefore, is not limited to the trophies won during his captaincy. His lasting contribution, as described by Dasgupta, was the change in how Indian cricketers saw themselves. They could respect their opponents without being intimidated by them—and, when challenged, they were increasingly prepared to stand their ground.
