My biggest legacy was I left a side who went on to win 2011 World Cup, admits Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly’s captaincy stint has left a long-lasting impression on Indian cricket, be it in terms of showing aggression or be it in purely cricketing terms. Under the southpaw’s time as the leader, he nurtured several talented cricketers, including Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, and Harbhajan Singh. 

On top of that, Ganguly also played a vital role in shaping the way the sport and team were looked at, with India finishing second best to Australia in the 2003 World Cup. Recalling that, Ganguly admitted that the biggest legacy he left was a side that went on to win the coveted competition. 

“That team (2011 WC) had seven or eight players who started their careers under me. The likes of (Virender) Sehwag, Dhoni himself, Yuvraj (Singh), Zaheer (Khan), Harbhajan Singh, Ashish Nehra. So I think that’s a legacy which I was extremely happy to leave behind as a captain. And that was my biggest legacy that I left a side which had the ability of winning at home and away from home,” Ganguly said in an online video lecture for Unacademy on Saturday.

One-shot that till date holds the attention of the Indian cricket fans from the 2011 competition is MS Dhoni’s six off Nuwan Kulasekara to finish the proceedings. Ganguly holds the shot as an iconic one before stating that it would remain in the Indian cricket history forever.   

“For me, the biggest day was when India won the World Cup in 2011. The great MS Dhoni… that shot, that six off the last ball will remain in Indian cricket history forever and what a moment it was,” he added.