5 Courageous decisions taken by Indian captains in cricket history
Indian cricket has had multiple such moments where they've seen both sides of the coin.
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.
Download Our App