There is no denying the fact that former Indian skipper, MS Dhoni is one of the legends of Indian cricket. He is the only captain ever to win all three major ICC trophies. The ability to deal with situations calmly, the knack of pulling a win out of nowhere, and finishing matches for India were some of the traits that made Dhoni stand head and shoulders above the rest. Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and Sourav Ganguly are three of the finest captains, Indian cricket has ever seen. 

Had it not been for Ganguly, who knows how long Dhoni might have had to wait to make his international debut. Speaking of Ganguly and Dhoni, pictures of the two former captains chatting had gone viral on social media a few days ago. Even though it was from a commercial shoot, Sourav Ganguly weighed in on his meeting with Dhoni and paid a stellar tribute to the former India wicketkeeper, explaining how MSD’s impact in Indian cricket soars way beyond his statistics.

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During a recent chat with Sportstar East Sports Conclave in Kolkata, Sourav Ganguly said, “When you speak about MS Dhoni, it’s not just about the matches he has played. It’s the impact that he has had on Indian cricket. I met him a couple of days ago in Mumbai; we both were shooting. He’s an absolute champion. One of the all-time greats of Indian cricket, winning World Cups, coming from the state of Ranchi which hardly produced any players.”

While an entire book may fall short on what makes Dhoni a once-in-a-lifetime player, one of his many staggering contributions is Indian cricket is to create a platform for the budding cricketers in rural India to follow their dreams. Once the boy from Ranchi won India a World Cup in 2007, cricketers from small towns believed that they too can break barriers and make it big.

From the current Indian team, Ishan Kishan is one of the players from Jharkhand who is making waves in international cricket – some even feel he is the heir to Dhoni considering the similar attacking styles of both batters – and Ganguly reckons that was made possible because of what MSD achieve as captain.

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Talking about Dhoni’s contributions, Sourav Ganguly said, “I feel proud – I can’t keep saying it – that two of India’s pretty successful captains came from a part of the country where people thought cricket wasn’t at its best. That’s where MS Dhoni comes in; he’s actually changed a generation of players around him to believe that ‘I can be successful’ from here. Look at Ishan Kishan, look at the way he plays international cricket.”