Ganguly's biggest contribution to Indian cricket was to make Sehwag open: Shreevats Goswami

Shreevats Goswami, who was part of India's Under-19 World Cup-winning squad in 2008, has highlighted Sourav Ganguly's most impactful decision during his captaincy tenure. Speaking on The Great Indian Cricket Show on Doordarshan, Goswami reflected on how Ganguly shaped Indian cricket through his leadership choices and player development.

Goswami emphasised that Ganguly's greatest contribution was elevating Virender Sehwag to the opening position in Test cricket. At the time of this decision, Sehwag was batting at number six in the order, a position where he had already established himself in the Indian team. Ganguly's move to promote him to open the innings proved transformative for Indian cricket's batting structure.

"The biggest thing that Sourav Ganguly did was to make Virender Sehwag open. A leader's job is not only to perform, but to prepare another leader, and he will prepare another leader in return. And the biggest contribution of a captain is to give trust." Goswami said via the Great Indian Cricket Show on Doordarshan.

Sehwag's transformation as an opener

Sehwag first played for India in an ODI against Pakistan in April 1999, batting in the middle order before Ganguly identified his potential as an opener. When Ganguly's Indian team toured England in 2002 for a four-match Test series, he asked Sehwag to open the innings. In his first Test innings as an opener, Sehwag scored 84 runs off 96 balls, demonstrating his suitability for the role.

The partnership between Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar at the top of the order became one of the most successful opening combinations in Test cricket history. This success was built on Ganguly's willingness to sacrifice his own opening position and trust a player to thrive in a new role. Sehwag went on to become one of India's most prolific opening batsmen, with his aggressive approach reshaping how the position was played in the format.

Ganguly's broader impact on Indian cricket

The former cricketer further elaborated on Ganguly's broader impact on Indian cricket, comparing his player development philosophy to later captaincy eras. He noted that while modern captains have built pace batteries and other specialist units, Ganguly's greatest strength lay in identifying untapped potential and providing opportunities for players to flourish in new roles.

"I mean, we are talking about the pace battery under Virat Kohli, but there were many players under Sourav Ganguly like Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, and Harbhajan Singh. And the biggest thing that Sourav Ganguly did was to make Virender Sehwag open. I mean, no other captain would even think of that when a player is batting at number six. Imagine telling a player like that to open and assuring him he gets every match." Goswami said.

Ganguly's decision to move Sehwag to the opening position reflected his broader philosophy of identifying talent and providing opportunities for players to develop. The trust he placed in the Delhi-born cricketer, combined with the assurance of consistent selection, allowed the batter to flourish in a role that suited his aggressive batting style. This move demonstrated how a captain's faith in a player's potential could reshape not only individual careers but also the structure of a team's batting lineup.