From Madhav Mantri, the man who shaped Gavaskar, to Ganguly's 'head-tail' toss prank on Ponting: cricket's timeless tales

The man who shaped Gavaskar

Who was Madhav Mantri? The Mumbai cricket stalwart, capped in just four Tests, remains one of Indian cricket's most influential behind-the-scenes figures — the man who helped shape a young Sunil Gavaskar and who stood alongside a teenage Sachin Tendulkar in 1990.

Dada's toss trick

And then there is the toss that was never quite fair. 'Heads Dada wins, tails Ponting loses' — the day Sourav Ganguly pranked Australian captain Ricky Ponting at the toss with a cheeky 'head-tail' call remains one of cricket's most loved anecdotes, a reminder of the gamesmanship that has always flavoured India-Australia contests.