New Delhi: Until Sourav Ganguly donned the skipper's hat it was thought that India could never regularly defeat Pakistan in matches, said former Pakistan bowler Shoaib Akhtar as the ex-India captain is all set to head the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Akhtar also pointed out that with the 'Prince of Kolkata' becoming BCCI President, India would have a strong voice among ICC, which Ganguly can capitalise on to make some changes in the sport, such as the return of bodyline bowling and relaxation for fast bowlers.

"Ganguly becoming the BCCI President is very good news. Ganguly was exceptional in changing the shape of Indian cricket when he became the captain. In the 1990s, I never thought that India would be able to defeat Pakistan, but with Ganguly, all changed. When he became the captain, I saw him bringing in new faces like Sehwag, Yuvraj, Zaheer. He created an exceptional setup and finally I thought India could defeat Pakistan," Akhtar said.