Dhoni's farewell gestures for Ganguly, Kumble

In an extraordinary gesture that reflects the camaraderie in the Indian cricket team, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Monday invited Sourav Ganguly to lead the team for some time as India was closing in on Australia to win the fourth Test and the series here on Monday.

On his last day on the field as an international cricketer, Ganguly, country's most successful captain, led the side for a few overs when the last Australian pair was at the wicket.

In another gesture to a former captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni invited Anil Kumble to jointly receive with him the coveted Border-Gavaskar trophy.

Kumble was the Indian captain at the start of the series but a shoulder shoulder injury which he sustained in the first Test in Bangalore saw him skipping the Mohali Test which India won under Dhoni.

Though Kumble returned to the side for the third Test in Delhi, he sustained a finger injury which necessitated 11 stitches and the veteran spinner surprised all by announcing his retirement on the final day of the drawn Test.

Ganguly got a rousing reception on his final appearance for the Indian side as teammates lined up when the former captain entered the ground for the last time.

After the match, all his teammates came forward to shake hands with Ganguly before Harbhajan Singh and VVS Laxman lifted him.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting too came to shake hands with Ganguly, as did all other members of the visiting side.