Sourav Ganguly - leading by courage

Sourav Ganguly is one of the great Asian captains of all time - a bristling competitor who is passion and spirit personified, not least to the youngsters whose corner he fights so fiercely. Under Ganguly's courageous stewardship, India has grown in self-belief, and in two towering Test series against Australia, the team has begun to live up to the nation's immense burden of expectation.

As a strokeplayer, Ganguly extracts immense power and timing from his slight frame. He shows a hint of uncertainty when facing up to the short ball, but his courage has never been in doubt. That was never more clearly demonstrated than at Brisbane in the first Test of India's epic drawn series against Australia last winter.

Ganguly rode out a furious assault, led by Jason Gillespie, to record a brilliant 144. From that moment on, India's benchmark for the series had been laid.

It was typical of Ganguly's style. He would never ask anything of his players that he could not deliver himself, and that will be his proudest legacy.