Ganguly came across Dhoni while playing the Challenger Trophy.
Sourav Ganguly was impressed with Mahendra Singh Dhoni from the very first day he came across him.
The former captain helped identify many future India players during his tenure and MS Dhoni was no exception.
"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." Ganguly wrote in his autobiography A Century is Not Enough, "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 added later.
Ganguly recalled how he came across Dhoni while playing the Challenger Trophy. Ganguly was impressed with his big hitting in the net and promoted him to the top of the order.
Dhoni scored a hundred hitting Ashish Nehra out of Wankhede Stadium on one occasion. He was selected in the Indian team soon and made his debut in December 2004.
Ganguly wrote that he wanted another big-hitter in the team to help the trio of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and himself. Ganguly said that MS Dhoni was the match-winner he was looking for.
"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," Ganguly writes.
Ganguly said that he wished Dhoni was a part of the India team that played the 2003 World Cup under his captaincy.
"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!"
Dhoni was the captain when Sourav Ganguly retired from International cricket in 2008. He started his last Test series under Anil Kumble while played his last test under MS Dhoni.
Everybody remembers MS Dhoni's gesture when he asked to Ganguly to captain the side on the final day of the last test match. However, Ganguly has revealed that he had refused Dhoni's request to captain the side once.
"As the match came to a close, Mahendra Singh Dhoni in a surprise gesture asked me to lead. I had rejected his offer earlier in the day, but could not refuse a second time."
"But I must admit, at that stage, I found it difficult to focus. So after three overs I handed it back to Dhoni saying, it is your job, MS. We both smiled."
Ganguly also talked about his great equation with another emerging superstar Yuvraj Singh. Ganguly rubbished the rumours that Yuvraj was tough to manage.
"For me, handling him was never a problem. Yes, he would meet his friends and have parties. But that didn’t matter as he won you matches like the very first one-day in Nairobi," he writes.
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