New Delhi: Former legendary captain of the Indian cricket team, Sourav Ganguly has turned 53 today. Ganguly made his ODI debut for Team India in the year 1992. Four years later, he got a chance in Test in 1996. Ganguly had created history by scoring a century in his debut test. Sourav Ganguly is one of those Indian cricketers who not only improved the team through his game but also through his leadership. This is the reason why under his captaincy the team created a ruckus on foreign soil in India.
Not only this, it was under the captaincy of Sourav Ganguly that players like Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer hoisted the Indian cricket flag on the world stage. In such a situation, on the occasion of his birthday, let us know how was the cricketing career of Sourav Ganguly, who is called the off-side god, and some of his special achievements.
Sourav Ganguly started with a century
Saural Ganguly’s career was very brilliant and full of ups and downs. He played his first ODI match in 1992, but his real recognition came in his debut Test at the historic ground of Lord’s in 1996, in which he played a brilliant inning of 131 runs. Apart from Tests, his opening pair with Sachin Tendulkar in ODIs is considered one of the most dangerous pairs in this format.
Talking about Sourav Ganguly’s career, he has appeared in 113 Test and 311 ODI matches for Team India. Ganguly scored 7212 runs in Test cricket at an average of 42.17. He has 16 centuries and 35 half-centuries to his name in Tests. Apart from this, if we talk about ODI, he has scored 11363 runs in this format. Ganguly’s average in ODIs was 41.2. In this format, he achieved the feat of scoring 22 centuries and 72 half-centuries.
Career and achievements of Sourav Ganguly
Talking about Sourav Ganguly’s cricketing career, it is full of achievements. This is the reason why he was called the God of Off-Side in the cricket world due to his cover drives and cut shots. Apart from this, there are some records in the name of Ganguly which have not been broken till date. SK holds the record for playing the biggest innings in the ODI World Cup.
Ganguly played an innings of 183 runs against Sri Lanka in the 1999 World Cup, which is still the highest individual score by an Indian in World Cup history. Apart from this, he has been among the fastest batsmen to score 6000, 7000, 8000 and 9000 runs in ODI cricket. Also, Ganguly became the third batsman in the world to score 10,000 runs in ODIs.
Record of three centuries in Champions Trophy
Sourav Ganguly’s bat roared a lot in ICC events. This is why he was the first player to score 3 centuries in the history of the ICC Champions Trophy. Also, his score of 117 runs in the final is still the highest individual score in the final of this tournament. Ganguly is the only player in the world who started his Test career with a century and got out on a golden duck in his last Test.
Ganguly got captaincy in the year 2000
Sourav Ganguly is considered one of the most successful captains of India, but when he got this responsibility, Indian cricket was going through difficult times. Sourav Ganguly was given the captaincy of Team India in the year 2000. At that time the team was struggling with match-fixing controversies and the trust of the fans was broken.
Ganguly captained India in 49 matches, winning 21 and losing 13, while 15 matches were drawn. Of these, 11 victories were won outside India. For this reason, Ganguly also got the title of the most courageous captain. Apart from Tests, he captained India in 146 ODIs. Under the captaincy of Ganguly, India won 76 matches. In which 76 matches were won. It was under his captaincy that Team India reached the final of the 2003 ODI World Cup.
