The match-fixing scandal remains the ugliest and darkest chapter in Indian cricket. Cricket was always viewed as the country’s most beloved sport, and even though India’s record until the 2000s was not particularly encouraging, the game still enjoyed the public’s trust. That trust, however, was shattered once news broke of players fixing matches for money. Hansie Cronje was the obvious villain, but Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja, too, tarnished the image of Indian cricket. The impact of that episode was so deep that even today, whenever something unusual happens, such as a bowler conceding four sixes in an over or a batter failing to score three runs off two balls, murmurs of foul play begin to surface.
As Indian cricket stepped into a new millennium, it found itself at a crossroads. With a life ban imposed on Azharuddin and Jadeja handed a five-year suspension, the team desperately needed a fresh start. That ray of hope arrived in the form of Sourav Ganguly. The Prince of Kolkata embraced his new role and took on the world, but admits it was not easy helping the team recover from the damage. With trust broken and suspicion lingering in every corner, Ganguly rebuilt the side brick by brick, helping Indian cricket find its feet again.
