Sourav Ganguly has been known to be a players’ captain. During his leadership tenure, Ganguly didn’t only groom the youngsters such as Sehwag, Yuvraj, Zaheer, Harbhajan among others but also shared a healthy camaraderie with stalwarts like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble and VVS Laxman.

Sharing his idea of an ideal leader, Ganguly recently said that a leader must adjust for others and not just do what he believes in.

“When you have exceptional players in the team, you will have to at times (to be a good leader) just follow the way they want to follow because sometimes they can be better than you. A leader, as I’ve always said, is not just ‘my way or the highway’. It is about adjusting to the greats you have in the dressing room,” Ganguly said in a video published by Cricinfo.

He also highlighted the drawbacks of extreme pressure put on the players by a certain captain at times.

“I am a firm believer that yes, you put pressure. Pressure is a must, and it’s going to happen in all professional life. But don’t put so much pressure that you crack. You have to allow them (players) freedom to express themselves,” the former India captain explained.

Ganguly concluded by saying that the players should be given space and freedom and that’s how a leader can earn the trust and build a team.

“That is the only way they can become better and that is the only way you can have a good team where every individual feels that as the boss or the leader, he gives us space. So, if I perform, I will get his backing. And I think that atmosphere (that trust), is very important,” he signed-off.