India's 5 biggest defeats under Sourav Ganguly's captaincy

As batsman, Sourav Ganguly may have divided opinions. However, his strong captaincy is widely accepted as a game-changer in Indian cricket.

Ganguly took over as Indian skipper when the side was going through troubled times. The match-fixing scandal and Sachin Tendulkar's reluctance to take on the mantle did not deter Dada who grasped the role and made it his own over the next few years.

He transformed the Indian team's mentality overnight with his aggressive nature and went toe-to-toe with the likes of Steve Waugh, as the young side grew in confidence and new stars were born.

The likes of Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan and many other players blossomed under Ganguly and along with senior pros like Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman the Indian team became a force to be reckoned with, especially in overseas conditions.

Ganguly's reign as skipper is seen as a golden era in Indian cricket, but there were a few losses which were uncharacteristic of the fighting spirit and brilliance it showed more often than not.

Let us now take a close look at India's five biggest defeats suffered under Ganguly's captaincy. These matches are not listed based on the margins of defeat. Instead, they have been categorised based on their importance as well as on thequality of the opposition.

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#5 Against Australia in Sydney (2004 VB series)

The Indian batting line-up had no answer to Brett Lee's menacing pace

The 2004 VB series followed the iconic Test series between India and Australia which saw Ganguly's side battle hard against the then dominant Australian outfit. The visitors had earned a memorable 1-1 draw in the four-match Test series, pouring cold water on Steve Waugh's dreams of a perfect farewell.

The fighting spirit that the side displayed in the longest format went terribly missing though in the 50-over format as the tri-series, featuring Zimbabwe as the third side, saw India winning only one of the 4 matches they played against the hosts in the group stages.

Wins against the African minnows saw India make it to the best-of-3 finals against Ricky Ponting's side but the results hardly changed. In fact, the second final played at the SCG turned out to be the biggest loss on the tour for India as they suffered a 208-run defeat.

In a hammering rendered to the Indian bowling attack in a similar manner as the 2003 World Cup final less than 12 months ago, Matthew Hayden's 122-ball 126, saw the hosts pile on 359 in their 50 overs.

Ganguly used as many as 7 bowlers to try and rein in the attack but with little success as the Australian batsmen smashed them to all parts of the ground.

In reply, the Indian batting offered little fight as the star-studded line-up folded away cheaply with youngster Irfan Pathan ending up as the top-scorer with a knock of 30. India were bowled out for a paltry total of 151 runs with more than 16 overs to spare.

Having started the tour on a very good note, the 208-run loss in the final match would have been a bitter pill to swallow for Ganguly, no doubt.

#4 Against Bangladesh in Dhaka (2004 ODI series)

Bangladesh players celebrate after sealing their first ever ODI win against India

Bangladesh has made steady progress over the past few years, especially in the limited-overs formats and is a match to any side on their day, especially in home conditions.

It was not the case though back in 2004/05 when the Indian side led by Ganguly toured Bangladesh for a two-match Test series followed by three ODIs.

The Tigers were still searching for their first win in the 5-day format while they had only beaten Zimbabwe and Hong Kong since that famous win over Pakistan in the 1999 ODI World Cup more than 5 years ago.

It did not come across as any surprise when Ganguly's men won both Tests by an innings margin and also clinched the 1st ODI, albeit by a slender margin of 11 runs.

The manner of victory should have served as a warning for the Indian side but complacency got the better of them as Ganguly's side were humbled in the 2nd ODI by a margin of 15 ODI as Bangladesh registered their first ever win over their Asian neighbours.

Chasing the target of 230 set by the hosts, India had a poor start losing both Sehwag and Yuvraj with just 5 runs on the board. Tendulkar and Dravid were missing from the line-up but the visitors still had the likes of Mohammad Kaif, MS Dhoni and the skipper himself to rescue the match.

But that was not to be as the spirited hosts scripted a famous win by a margin of 15 runs, leaving Ganguly with a lot of questions to be answered.

India managed to redeem themselves with a 91-run victory in the third ODI but the loss to Bangladesh was a tough pill to swallow for Indian cricket fans at the time.

#3 Against Australia in Johannesburg (2003 World Cup)

Ganguly's questionable decision to bat first after winning the toss changed the fate of the match

The 2003 ODI World Cup was a case of so near, yet so far for the Indian side as they beat every side that came their way except for the all-conquering Australian side led by Ponting.

The Indian cricket fans had their hopes high for the final despite the manner in which their side had been humbled in the group stages by the Aussies. Batting first. India were dismissed for just 125 runs, with the reigning champions completing a comfortable 9-wicket victory in quick time.

India shrugged off the disappointment to embark on a dream run as the side led by a vibrant Ganguly, featuring the perfect mix of senior pros and young blood, to make it to the showpiece match - the ODI World Cup final.

The all-important toss went India's way but contrary to the popular thought process, Ganguly send in the opposition to bat first and, as they say, the rest is history.

The occasion got the better of Zaheer Khan and Australia made a brisk start and they just kept going and going with skipper Ponting leading from the front, remaining unbeaten on 140, as the eventual champions piled on 359 runs in their 50 overs.

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It was always going to be an uphill task for India and they got off to the worst possible start losing Tendulkar in the very first over.

Sehwag scored a valiant 84 but it was never going to be enough as India were bowled inside 40 overs, losing the match by a margin of 125 runs.

A tournament which should have been remembered for Ganguly's spirited captaincy thus also became a black mark in his career for the questionable decision to bowl first in a World Cup final.

#2 Against Zimbabwe in Harare (2001 Test series)

Ganguly's final Test series as skipper was also against Zimbabwe

Ganguly is undoubtedly one of the greatest ODI players of all time, but it was in the Test format that he truly made his mark as a skipper.

He got off to the perfect start winning his first two Tests as skipper - against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. However, Ganguly got a rude awakening when the African nation got the better of his side in the second Test at Harare during India's tour of Zimbabwe in 2001.

It was Ganguly who won the toss but having elected to bat first, the Indian side failed to get enough runs on the board in both innings, scoring 237 and 234 runs. Ganguly himself had a struggle out in the middle being dismissed for 9&0.

Zimbabwe, who scored 315 runs in their first innings to take a 78-run lead, kept their calm to chase down the target of 158 runs with four wickets in hand to equalise the series 1-1.

Not a series Ganguly would love to look back at and though he got his maximum number of Test wins as skipper (6) against Zimbabwe, the African nation proved to be bad omen for Ganguly as it was during the now infamous India tour of Zimbabwe in 2005/06 that saw the rift between Ganguly and then head coach Greg Chappell become public leading to the skipper being forced to step down.

#1 Against Sri Lanka in Sharjah (2000 Coca-Cola Champions Trophy)

India suffered their biggest ever defeat in the 50-over format against Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka may be struggling at the moment, but it was in the 1990s that they made their presence truly felt in international cricket, winning the 1996 ODI World Cup under Arjuna Ranatunga's shrewd captaincy.

With players like Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene joining the likes of Sanath Jayasuriya, Muttiah Muralitharan, and Chaminda Vaas, Sri Lanka had a team of champions and they were a team hard to beat, especially in the subcontinent conditions.

While Ganguly possessed a good record against them as a player, including his highest ODI score of 183, he struggled to get his side over the line as skipper on numerous occasions, most notably in the final of a multi-nation ODI tournament on three separate occasions.

The first of these three losses is by far the most embarrassing one of them all as India were defeated by a then world-record margin of 245 runs after being dismissed for just 54 runs.

Batting first, Sri Lanka scored 299 runs, with Jayasuriya going berserk with his big-hitting, scoring 189 runs.

In reply, the much-hyped Indian batting line-up capitulated in dramatic fashion with only Robin Singh managing to reach double figures.

The 245-run loss still is India's biggest ODI loss in terms of margin of runs and Ganguly would go on to lose the Coca-Cola Cup tri-series final in 2001 as well as the Asia Cup final in 2004 as skipper against the same opposition.