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Michael Vaughan, former England captain, highlighted similarities between India’s 2003 and 2023 squads during a recent interview on BeerBiceps’ The Ranveer Show. In both the 2003 and 2023 World Cups, India reached the final but were defeated by Australia. Sourav Ganguly led the 2003 team, which lost to Ricky Ponting’s Australia, while the 2023 team, captained by Rohit Sharma, was beaten by Pat Cummins’ Australian side.
During the show, the host asked Vaughan about his perspective as a non-Indian observing the Indian cricket team. He also inquired about Vaughan’s impressions of Ganguly’s team and the similarities and differences he noticed between the two teams.
‘He Made Indian Cricket Really Tough’
Vaughan described Ganguly’s team as collectively tough, emphasizing Ganguly’s ability to unite them as a cohesive unit. He highlighted the quality of players like Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Zaheer Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, and Anil Kumble, acknowledging their individual strengths. Overall, Vaughan credited Ganguly with making Indian cricket formidable during his tenure as captain.
“Sourav’s team was collectively hard. I felt that he got them all playing together as a team really well. Obviously when you’ve got the likes of (Rahul) Dravid and Sachin (Tendulkar), (Virender) Sehwag at the top of the order. Gautam Gambhir just coming through. Real quality players. Sourav (Ganguly) himself was a wonderful player. He had quality. Zaheer Khan, magnificent left-armer. And then you had Harbhajan (Singh) and Anil Kumble. You’ve got quality in your team. They were hard to beat. I think he made Indian cricket really tough.”
Watch Michael Vaughan’s Video Here
India’s Improved Fielding In Cricket
Vaughan also noted the evolution of Indian cricket in terms of fielding, highlighting how fielding has become a crucial aspect of the game. He mentioned that in the past, India weren’t known for their fielding prowess, but now they are exceptional, with players like Ravindra Jadeja leading the way. Vaughan attributed this change to a shift in mindset initiated by Virat Kohli, emphasizing the importance of fitness and speed in modern cricket.
“And, you know, fielding has become a thing. Whereas I guess back in my day, India were never renowned as being a good fielding side. And when you look at them now, they’re electric. You know, (Ravindra) Jadeja is probably the best in the world. And it was out the norm, wasn’t it? Oh, you’ve got a couple of fields that can run. That’s remarkable. Whereas now I think through Virat (Kohli), I think the whole of Indian cricket realises you’ve got to be fit. You’ve got to be fast,” added the Englishman.
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