Sourav Ganguly has always been a great fan of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. His admiration for the World Cup-winning captain was evident again when he said on Monday that Dhoni’s legacy will be measured not only in the matches he played but how he served as an inspiration to a generation of players.
“When you speak about MS Dhoni, it’s not just about the matches he has played. It’s the impact that he has had on Indian cricket. I met him a couple of days ago in Mumbai... we both were shooting. He’s an absolute champion. One of the all-time greats of Indian cricket, winning World Cups, coming from Ranchi, which hardly produced any players,” the former India captain said during the Sportstar East Sports Conclave.
“I feel proud that two of India’s pretty successful captains came from a part of the country where people thought cricket wasn’t at its best. That’s where MS Dhoni comes in, he’s actually changed a generation of players around him to believe that ‘I can be successful’ from here. Look at Ishan Kishan, look at the way he plays international cricket,” the former BCCI president remarked.
Virat Kohli at practice in Nagpur on Monday, ahead of the first Test against Australia. PTI photo
On the growing stature of big-money leagues and their relevance, Sourav said: “We keep talking about the leagues around the world... If you look at the IPL it is in a different ecosystem and different league, the Big Bash in Australia does very well, The Hundred does very well in the UK and I see the South Africa league doing very well, I have been watching it for the last three weeks.
“The common thing among all these leagues is that they are in countries where cricket is popular. So I believe over a period of time, fourfive years, it is going to get to a stage where very few will exist and I know which ones.
“Certain (leagues) will remain and certain will move away because players will realise it is not that important. Right now they are new and everyone wants to be part of it, so you see the rush.
“But ultimately it will get back to a stage where the country will be as important as the league because only a few will survive because of the ecosystem.” He felt the administrative bodies have a major role to play when it comes to the all-round development of sport in a country.
