SK What if: Sourav Ganguly had led India to the 2003 World Cup win

5. MS Dhoni would not have got his break soon

Dhoni’s era would not have started from 2004

Parthiv Patel, the wicket-keeper batsman was in the 2003 World Cup winning squad, and who knows if India had won the tournament, he would have taken the gloves from Rahul Dravid. MS Dhoni, the small town boy would have been forced to wait in the wings.

One person’s loss is another person’s gain. The unfortunate turn of events post the defeat at the 2003 World Cup finale followed by consecutive series losses against Australia and Pakistan in the consequent months led to a debacle for the team and a gruelling issue for the board. The phase next to this saw one of the most ugly face-offs between then newly appointed coach Greg Chappell and Sourav Ganguly; thereby making way for a new captain for the Indian side – MS Dhoni. Gaining success in the initial matches of captaincy, Dhoni picked up speed and never looked back.

How one wishes that it could turn the clock back to cherish the things of the past, but it all goes in vain. On the plus side, it was none other than India who finally interrupted the Australia and ICC World Cup love story by winning the 2011 edition of the coveted title and we hope to see many more triumphant events from various teams across the world.