Srinath reflects on Ganguly's 2001 toss delay, lea...

By Rohan Gupta — 9 August 2026 — 3 min read

Javagal Srinath, a former Indian cricketer, recently discussed a notable incident from the 2001 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series involving then-Indian captain Sourav Ganguly and Australian skipper Steve Waugh. The event, which took place at Eden Gardens, centered on Ganguly’s delayed appearance for the toss. Srinath indicated that if he had been the match referee at the time, he would have imposed disciplinary action against Ganguly.

Srinath stated that he would have banned Ganguly for a few games due to the delay. This incident has been widely regarded as an act of gamesmanship that reportedly unsettled Waugh and the Australian team during the series, which India ultimately won 2-1. Ganguly later attributed his late arrival to being unable to locate his blazer, though Srinath suggested this explanation was debatable.

Ganguly’s Leadership and Team Transformation

Beyond the controversial toss incident, Srinath also offered praise for Sourav Ganguly‘s leadership qualities during his tenure as India captain. Srinath highlighted Ganguly’s significant role in nurturing young talent who would later become crucial players for the Indian team. He specifically mentioned Ganguly’s work with emerging cricketers such as Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, and Virender Sehwag, who subsequently became integral to the team’s success in the years that followed.

Srinath further reflected on the broader context of Indian cricket during that period, noting a major transformation after the match-fixing controversies of the late 1990s. He observed that players across the team developed a shared determination to restore the sport’s integrity and demonstrate to the world that cricket remained clean and untainted.

According to Srinath, there was a collective resoluteness among the players to restore the game’s image and prove its superiority and cleanliness. He added that leadership from the top four or five players being aligned helped India not only achieve consistent victories at home but also improve their performance in overseas matches.

Srinath recalled that India struggled to win abroad between 1991 and 1997-98, but this trend began to change from 1999 onwards, marking a significant shift in the team’s performance.

Recollections and Future of Cricket

Srinath also shared an anecdote about recommending left-arm pacer Zaheer Khan to selector Chandu Borde. This recommendation came after Srinath observed Zaheer taking six wickets against Air India while representing the MRF Pace Foundation. When Borde humorously questioned what would happen to Srinath if Zaheer was selected, Srinath’s response was direct: “If he’s good, he replaces me.”

Reflecting on the 2003 World Cup final against Australia, Srinath revealed his preference for India to bat first, a view he shared during team discussions, believing it would put pressure on the opposition. However, Sourav Ganguly held a different perspective. Srinath noted that once the decision was made, the team had to move forward, acknowledging that Australia proved to be too strong in that particular match.

Srinath also offered a light-hearted comment about Rahul Dravid, humorously suggesting he was “not the best roommate” due to a habit of leaving items scattered, contrasting this with Venkatesh Prasad, whom he described as extremely “spick and span.”

Regarding young talent Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Srinath cautioned against immediate comparisons to cricketing legends like Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli. He emphasized that different eras present different challenges for players. Srinath highlighted that judging a player involves considering both white-ball and red-ball cricket. He described Sooryavanshi as a wonderful talent who is still very young, expressing hope that he develops the maturity of Sachin and the strong mindset of Virat.

Furthermore, Srinath advocated for a better balance between bat and ball in cricket. He pointed to factors such as shorter boundaries, larger bats, and less pronounced seams as elements that have shifted this balance. He believes that measures need to be taken to restore equilibrium in the game.

Srinath’s reflections provide insight into key moments and transformations within Indian cricket, from disciplinary issues to leadership and the development of talent, underscoring his perspective on the sport’s evolution.

His commentary on the 2001 Border-Gavaskar Trophy incident and Sourav Ganguly‘s leadership offers a look into a significant period for India.

Source: sports.yahoo.com