Don’t put so much pressure that you crack: Sourav Ganguly on leadership skills

Sourav Ganguly is deemed to be one of the greatest captains India have ever produced. He took over as the skipper at a time when cricket in the country was marred by match-fixing scandals. However, he didn’t drop the gun and drastically changed the face of Indian cricket. The 46-year-old was one player under whom India learned to get the better of opponents in overseas conditions.

A number of cricketers including the likes of MS Dhoni, Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and many more flourished under him. He played his last Test match back in 2008 against Australia in Nagpur and Dhoni, the then skipper, asked the former cricketer to lead the team. Recently, the veteran put forth some opinions regarding the tracks and trade of captaining a national team.

You have to allow them the freedom to express themselves

“When you have exceptional players in the team, you will have to at times (to be a good leader) just follow the way they want to follow because sometimes they can be better than you. A leader, as I’ve always said, is not just ‘my way or the highway’. It is about adjusting to the greats you have in the dressing room,” Ganguly was quoted as saying in ESPNcricinfo.

“I am a firm believer that yes, you put pressure. Pressure is a must, and it’s going to happen in all professional life. But don’t put so much pressure that you crack. You have to allow them (players) freedom to express themselves,” he added.

Ganguly captained India in 49 Tests in which he won 21 Tests and lost 13. Later, Dhoni went on to better him with 27 wins out of 60 matches. Ganguly also captained the team to the final of 50-overs World Cup in the African content in 2003 when they soared above expectations. In the One Day format, Dada has won 76 out of 146 encounters.

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