Former Indian cricketer VVS Laxman, who retired from international cricket back in 2012, has been a vital clog of the Indian cricket team in the 21st century, particularly in red ball cricket. The right hander made his debut for India in a test match against South Africa in 1996 under the captaincy of Sachin Tendulkar. Laxman’s international career spanned from 1996 to 2012 during which he played several match winning knocks and was a part of a number of victories of the Indian cricket team.
Speaking for India Today Conclave South 2018, VVS Laxman had no second thoughts in naming Sourav Ganguly as the best captain he has played under. Laxman, who started his international career under Sachin Tendulkar, has played under several captains over the course of his international career spanning over a decade and a half.
Laxman is famously remembered for his match-winning knock of 281 against Australia at the Eden Gardens, Calcutta in 2001 which is regarded as one of the best test innings of all time. His knock helped Team India stage make a resounding comeback to win the test match after following on. The victory came under the leadership of Sourav Ganguly, which is one of the reasons the veteran rates him so highly as a skipper.
Sourav Ganguly took over captaincy of the Indian cricket team when Indian cricket was in a state of chaos with the match fixing scandal was still afresh. He led India to the finals of the 2003 World Cup and is also regarded as the architect of India’s World Cup victories in 2007 and 2011. Ganguly was more than just a leader, who built a team out of the ashes which could walk into any tournament as outright favourites.
He showed immense faith in youngsters like Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni who repayed his trust in rich dividends and was the one who instilled the sense of aggression and self belief into a side struggling to make an impact in the international arena. Laxman was one of the key performers for India under Ganguly, which could be another reason for his immense love and respect for Ganguly as captain.
While many were surprised with Laxman not picking World Cup winning skipper MS Dhoni as his favourite, the veteran has already made it clear that there were no cracks in his relationship with the former skipper.
