Sourav Ganguly Reveals How He Confronted Tendulkar and Dravid Over Match-Fixing Scandal
Sourav Ganguly, one of Indian cricket’s most transformative leaders, has pulled back the curtain on one of the sport’s darkest chapters—revealing how he personally approached legends like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid to understand the truth behind the match-fixing scandal that rocked Indian cricket in the early 2000s.
The Shadow Over Indian Cricket
When Ganguly took over the Indian captaincy in 2000, the team was reeling. The revelations surrounding former skipper Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja had left fans disillusioned. Azharuddin was handed a lifetime ban, while Jadeja received a five-year suspension—both for their involvement in match-fixing. Trust in the game had eroded, and every loss sparked whispers of corruption.
Ganguly, then just 27, inherited a fractured legacy. In a recent appearance on the Raj Shamani podcast, he admitted he had little understanding of the scandal’s depth when he assumed leadership.
‘Has Anyone Approached You?’
“The issues that the Indian team faced just before I became captain—betting, match-fixing—I didn’t even know about these things,” Ganguly revealed. “I kept asking Sachin [Tendulkar] and Rahul [Dravid], ‘Does it actually happen? Has anyone approached you? Because no one had approached me.'”
He continued, “I spoke to Sachin. ‘Tujhe kisi ne puucha?’ 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 a job at hand. So, I didn’t have these things in mind.”
His approach was simple: seek truth from those he trusted. With no firsthand experience of such offers, he turned to his teammates—men who had played through the scandal’s peak—to confirm whether it was real, widespread, or limited to a few.
Taking Charge Amid Giants
One of the biggest challenges wasn’t just the scandal—but leadership itself. Ganguly was stepping into shoes worn by his former captains. The dressing room included icons like Tendulkar, Kumble, and Javagal Srinath. The hierarchy felt daunting.
“I still remember our first match was in Kochi. On the eve of the game, I had to address the team meeting. I told Dona [his wife] that many of these guys—Azhar, Sachin—had been my captains. How was I supposed to tell them what to do and what not to do?”
Choosing brevity over bravado, Ganguly kept the meeting short—around 15 minutes. “The longer it went on, the more I’d have to speak,” he admitted. The next day, India won. In the following match in Jamshedpur, he scored a century. Momentum had begun to shift.
Reviving a National Team
What followed under Ganguly’s captaincy was nothing short of a renaissance. He didn’t just lead a team—he rebuilt a culture. Indian cricket started winning overseas consistently. He led India to:
- A historic draw in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy
- The first-ever Test series win against Pakistan
- The NatWest Trophy victory in 2002
- Joint champions in the ICC Champions Trophy 2002
- A dominant home series win over Australia
- Reaching the 2003 ICC World Cup final—the first since 1983
More importantly, Ganguly nurtured a new generation of fearless players—Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, and Harbhajan Singh—all of whom would go on to define Indian cricket for years.
A Legacy Beyond Wins
Sourav Ganguly didn’t just restore faith in Indian cricket—he redefined its identity. From asking uncomfortable questions behind closed doors to leading by example on the field, his captaincy was equal parts courage and clarity.
Today, as Indian cricket enjoys global respect, it’s worth remembering the man who stood at the crossroads—and chose to rebuild from the ruins.
