Former Sri Lankan wicketkeeper-batsman Kumar Sangakkara recently shared his view that MS Dhoni's achievements were built upon the foundation Sourav Ganguly laid during his captaincy. Speaking on 'Cricket Connected,' Sangakkara mentioned that if Ganguly had possessed a player of Dhoni's caliber at the start of his tenure, India likely would have won more silverware. He highlighted Ganguly's role in creating a competitive team during Australia's era of global dominance.
He described Dhoni as a phenomenal athlete and the finest captain in cricket history. However, Sangakkara believes that Dhoni's ability to reach those heights was a direct result of the environment and structure Ganguly had already put in place for him and his teammates.
Ganguly is widely credited with designing a bold, courageous Indian team and giving newcomers the confidence to excel. This is evident in how he integrated young talents such as Ashish Nehra, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj Singh, and Virender Sehwag into the national side.
Building on that momentum, MS Dhoni led India to victory in the T20 World Cup, the ODI World Cup, and the Champions Trophy, while also leading them to the number one spot in Test cricket. These milestones make Dhoni the only captain in history to lift all three major ICC trophies.