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The match-fixing scandal had rocked the 2000s, and Indian cricket had endured a tough time at that juncture. Cricket, which is still regarded as a religion, had gone through a turbulent period and several cricketers, with the likes of Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja, were punished for their involvement. It was Sourav Ganguly who took over the charge of the Indian Cricket Team and led the revival of Team India on the front foot.

Sourav Ganguly Opens Up On Match Fixing Controversy

Ganguly was 27 when he was handed the responsibility, but he showed maturity and utter humility as he navigated most of the challenges with precision. Sourav also led India to the 2003 ODI World Cup final, but they lost to a superior Australia in the final. Sourav's contribution to Indian cricket was the primary reason behind Indian cricket's meteoric rise over the years.

On the Raj Shamani podcast, the former Indian captain revealed that when he approached both Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman about whether anyone had contacted them. “The issues that the Indian team faced just before I became captain - betting, match-fixing - I didn't even know about these things. I kept asking Sachin [Tendulkar] and Rahul [Dravid] 'Does it actually happen? Has anyone approached you?' Because no one had approached me. So, I spoke to Sachin, 'Tujhe kisi ne poocha?' He said no. We all used to play both formats - Tests and one-dayers. Asked Anil [Kumble] too, he said 'No. Nobody asked me'. So, I wasn't too sure what it even was. That [captaincy] was the job in hand. So, I didn't have these things in mind.”

Sourav Ganguly Happens To Be India's Leading ODI Cricketer

Ganglu went on to feature in 311 ODI matches and 113 Test matches for India. He was one of the prime players in white-ball cricket in his time and amassed 11363 runs at an average of 41.02. The Prince of Kolkata also later became the BCCI president and is currently serving as the president of CAB (Cricket Association of Bengal).