MS Dhoni and 2003 ICC World Cup: Sourav Ganguly autobiography makes big revelation

Mumbai: He is known as one of the fiercest Team Indian captain till date. Sourav Ganguly known as the prince of Kolkata is one of the greatest captains of Team India. Known to unearth the hidden gem, Ganguly always had an eye for talented players.

His ability to back youngsters had led to players like Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, Mohammad Kaif, Harbhajan Singh going onto represent India for a very long time.

Another player to have benefited by playing under Ganguly was Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Ganguly helped shaping the 36-year-old career, when he had just come into the national side.

In his autobiography 'A Century is Not Enough' the 45-year-old made an assessment of Dhoni and shared one instance when he promoted the Ranchi batsman to no 3 slot against Pakistan

"I had over the years constantly looked out for players who remain steady under pressure and possess the capability to change the course of the match. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who came to my notice in 2004, was a natural progression of this thought. I was impressed with MS Dhoni from day one," Ganguly wrote in his autobiography.

"Today I am happy that my assessment was proven right. It is amazing how he broke through the ranks to become what he is today," added Ganguly.

While India under Ganguly’s leadership went onto to play in the 2003 World Cup final in South Africa, Dhoni was working as a ticket collector. The former India skipper added "I wish I'd Dhoni in my 2003 World Cup team. I was told that when we were playing the 2003 World Cup final he was still a ticket collector with Indian Railways. Unbelievable!".

Ganguly’s final international match for India was against Australia in November 2008. In one of the most memorable gestures, Dhoni asked Dada (Ganguly) to lead the side for one final time.