File image: Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni (Photo by TOI)
NEW DELHI: Long before he became one of India’s most successful captains, MS Dhoni was quietly watched by Sourav Ganguly, who has now revealed how the wicketkeeper-batter was quickly pushed through the system after impressing the then Indian skipper.In the Raj Shamani podcast, Ganguly said that Dhoni’s rise was no accident. The former captain personally traveled to Jamshedpur to watch him during domestic cricket ahead of the final selection.Ganguly watched Dhoni before selectionGanguly revealed that he was delaying a decision on Dhoni’s inclusion until he could judge him for himself. “I had to see him before I took the final call. So I postponed that decision for a few days,” he said.The visit convinced him. “We watch the whole matches. When Dhoni was playing, I went to Jamshedpur to watch him. He didn’t even know,” Ganguly added, recalling how carefully the management kept tabs on emerging talent.The former skipper also credited former selector Sab Karim for highlighting Dhoni’s power hitting for the first time. “Saba Karim told me, ‘He hits a lot of sixes.’ So we picked him straight from there for India A. He played his first match at the Wankhede Stadium in my team. He made a hundred and was hitting the roof with sixes,” Ganguly said.
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“Who is good must be fast tracked”This India A innings removed all remaining doubts. Ganguly said the management believes that exceptional players should not be held back in the system.“We had to take him. Whoever is good has to be fast-tracked. You can’t leave him. If you slow-cook him from behind, he will finish,” Ganguly explained of the philosophy that shaped India’s transition during his captaincy.Dhoni’s ODI debut came against Bangladesh in Chattogram in December 2004 and ended in disappointment when he ran out for a duck. But Ganguly remained confident. Months later, he promoted Dhoni to No. 3 against Pakistan in Visakhapatnam. Dhoni smashed 148 off 123 balls, announcing himself on the international stage.Ganguly said the principle is simple: “If you play with people above your level, your game will go up. If you play below, your game will go down.”This belief has helped shape the careers of players like Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag – and most notably Dhoni.
