When India memorably defeated England in the Natwest Trophy finals in 2002, the former captain of India’s most memorable moment was undoubtedly when he took off his shirt on the Lord’s balcony.
As the Director of Cricket for the Delhi Capitals of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Sourav Ganguly, a former captain of India and a guy revered by both former India head coach and teammate Rahul Dravid, has made numerous outstanding contributions to the game of cricket. Let’s return to part of the left-hander’s nearly two-decade career, as he turned 52 on Monday. Because of Sourav Ganguly’s capacity to divide people, Indian cricket witnessed one of its most captivating dramas.
He led a winning team of talented players, making him India’s most successful Test captain. He is still among the most extraordinary one-day batters in history, though. Until he hit a spectacular century on his debut at Lord’s in 1996, his career had come to a grinding halt despite his ability to bat with grace and surgical accuracy. Later that year, he was promoted to the top of the ODI order, and he formed one of the most formidable opening combinations in history with Sachin Tendulkar.
Sourav Ganguly’s unique leadership style was well-known during his playing career. He was dubbed “Dada” after making his Test debut against England in the summer of 1996, and his century in the first Test match at Lord’s brought him instant notoriety. The ‘Prince of Kolkata’ went on to smash a century in the second Test match, making history as the third batter to score a century in each of his first two innings.
The Team India camp became embroiled in a match-fixing incident in 2000. After that, Sourav Ganguly was named team captain and began developing young players.
Ganguly guided India to the 2000 ICC Knockout Trophy finals for the first time. Another significant achievement for Team India occurred in 2001 when the Ganguly-led team won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, defeating Australia 2-1.
Steve Waugh’s Australian side fought to force India to win the series, but VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid pulled off one of the greatest upsets in Indian cricket history.
When India memorably defeated England in the Natwest Trophy finals in 2002, the former captain of India’s most memorable moment was undoubtedly when he took off his shirt on the Lord’s balcony.
In 2003, Ganguly guided India to the World Cup finals as well. In the championship match, Australia narrowly defeated India. He also managed a Test and ODI series in Pakistan in 2004. India’s victory in the Test series was its first in Pakistan.
In addition, ‘Dada’ and former coach Greg Chappell got into a memorable altercation in 2005–06 when the ‘Prince of Kolkata’ was excluded from the Team India roster. In contrast, Sourav Ganguly returned to the lineup and scored over fifty runs in Johannesburg.
2008 saw him play his final Test match in Nagpur against Australia. After he retired from domestic cricket in 2012, he participated in the Indian Premier League (IPL). “Dada” represented India in 113 Test matches and 311 One-Day Internationals. Throughout his career, the left-handed batsman scored 18,575 runs in all formats for his country.
One of the primary forces behind the concept of day-night Test cricket in India is Sourav Ganguly. His efforts were rewarded in 2019 when India and Bangladesh played the first-ever day-night Test match at the Eden Gardens.
Across 195 matches in all formats, he has captained India and won 97. The former captain later became President of the BCCI and the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB).
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