5 Courageous decisions taken by Indian captains in cricket history

2. Sourav Ganguly opting to bat first and playing two spinners on a green pitch at Leeds 2002

When you go to England, see a green track and overcast conditions, you hope to win the toss and bowl. Moreover, there’s no way a team could play two spinners. But Sourav Ganguly did exactly the opposite of what captains normally tend to do.

India were 0-1 behind in the series going into the Leeds Test match. Ganguly won the toss and to everyone’s surprise, he batted first under overcast conditions and on a greenish pitch. He even picked both Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh and had just two frontline fast bowlers.

However, each one of those decisions paid off. India smoked 628/8 before declaring in the first innings. Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Ganguly smashed tons after Sanjay Bangar and Dravid had battled out a tough period on the first day.

The Indian spin twins wreaked havoc as they picked up 11 wickets in the game. Kumble returned with seven wickets while Singh took five. A collective bowling effort helped India win the game by an innings and levelled the series.