'Happy Indian cricket got a Mahendra Singh Dhoni': Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly succeeded Mohammad Azharuddin and a rejuvenated Team India stamped their authority under the new skipper in the 2000 ICC KnockOut Trophy.

Ganguly indeed played an instrumental role in making India a driving force and also showed faith in the younger generations. All-rounder Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif to Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni - Ganguly often gets the credited for bringing in exciting young talents.

Talking about the same in a BCCI video, the current President was asked if it was because of him that Dhoni was part of the Indian team to which Ganguly replied saying it's true.

"Ya it's true but that's my job, isn't it. That's every captain's job to pick the best and make the best team possible. T=You go by your instincts, you go by the faith on that player that he will deliver for you," Ganguly told Mayank Agarwal in the video hashtagged #DadaOpensWithMayank.

"I am happy that Indian cricket got a Mahendra Singh Dhoni because he is unbelievable".

 July 7, 2020

Mayank too responded saying Dhoni did end up becoming one of the best finishers in the world to which Dada said not just a finisher but also one of the greatest players.

"Everyone talks about the way he finishes lower down the order, but he batted at No. 3 when  I was captain and he got a 140 against Pakistan in Vizag. 

"I always believe he should bat up the order because he was so destructive. The best players in the shorter format have the ability to hit boundaries. You look over a period of time, in the history of One-Day cricket, the best players can find the fence under pressure consistency and MS Dhoni was one of them and that's why he was special".

The wicketkeeper-batsman turns 39 as he celebrates his birthday today (July 7). Currently, he is edging ever so close to his final years as a cricketer, and his future with the Men in Blue is still unknown.

Dhoni was to return back to cricket with the 2020 IPL after taking a sabbatical after India's exit from the 2019 World Cup. However, the cash-rich tournament has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.