Cricket Bible Wisden has given full credit to captain Saurav Ganguly for transformingthe Indian team from "stoic losers to chest-thumping warriors" and helping it emerge as the "second-best" team in the World Cup.
Terming India as "A New Steel", Wisden Cricketers' Almanac 2003 said the "hub" of India's transformation wasGanguly who "lifted Indian cricket from a state of factionalist torpor by the sheer force of his personality".
If Wisden was opulent in its praise of Sachin Tendulkar, who has been given a special space in its latest edition, itwas no less praiseful of the Indian skipper for showing "passion and an unflinching commitment to talent".
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Referring to India's loss in the World Cup final, it said, "If they lost, it was because they lacked skill and
armoury in foreign conditions, not nerve and heart.
"The hub of this transformation was Saurav Ganguly, who despite not being able to put bat to ball for 60 per cent of this period, lifted Indian cricket from a state of factionalist torpor by the sheer force of his personality.
"He showed passion and an unflinching commitment to talent. He won loyalty because he gave it in good measure, andto every deserving player, irrespective of his postal address. For India, it was a big step forward."
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Referring to India's Test performances prior to the World Cup, Wisden said: "The real story, however, was not in thescorebook.... but in the way India transformed themselves from stoic losers to chest-thumping warriors."
PTI
