Sourav Ganguly- God of the Offside

Sourav Ganguly, affectionately referred to as dada, is revered as the Maharaja of Indian Cricket. Sourav Ganguly had a successful career in the cricket field and has also entertained us as a commentator. Over the years, his superior skills in several professions have touched many people’s hearts. The charismatic captain has made a name for himself in cricket and received numerous awards. Let us delve into some details about Sourav Ganguly’s illustrious life.

Beginnings of Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly, the youngest son of Chandidas and Nirupa Ganguly, was born on July 8, 1972, in Calcutta. His father was one of the wealthiest men in the city, and when Sourav was a boy, his family managed a printing company. Even though he is actually right-handed, Ganguly trained to be a left-handed batsman so that he could use his elder brother’s athletic gear. After demonstrating his prowess as a skilled batsman, he joined a cricket academy.

Career

Sourav Ganguly experienced the audience’s applause as well as criticism and underlined the need to be courageous and set an example in this regard. His performances helped the Indian cricket team gain some outstanding field achievements, and his relationships with cricket specialists like John Wright benefited India’s tours across the world. He was India’s most successful captain to the end of his career, and in 2003, he took his country to the World Cup final.

In ODIs, Sourav Ganguly began to open the innings alongside Sachin Tendulkar. This partnership was regarded as the most dangerous ones in the annals of one-day international cricket. In test matches, the bowlers worked over Ganguly, and bowlers and captains worldwide noticed his weakness against short-pitched bowling.

Ganguly approached his batting with composure and finished the series with the most runs scored. He also discovered his groove in ODIs, and in 2007 his prolific run-scoring propelled him to second place among all scorers of runs, barely behind Jacques Kallis. Following his success against Sri Lanka as Man of the Series, his ODI performances also improved.

Nevertheless, the selectors chose a younger team with a view toward the future; therefore, despite his strong performances, he was not selected for the CB series in Australia in 2008. His performance suffered a setback when he could not score significant runs against Sri Lanka, and concerns were once again expressed over whether he should be included in Australia’s tour. Sourav Ganguly ended his career right after the Australia series in response to the queries.

As in his playing career, Ganguly still has the magnetic ability to draw attention. Even three years following his retirement, he continued to play in the local circuit, competing in the IPL and the Ranji Trophy till 2012 with sporadic achievement. He has also adopted a new identity as a TV analyst and commentator.

Legacy

According to author Pradeep Mandhani, Ganguly became India’s most successful Test captain during his reign, which spanned 2000 to 2005. He captained them for a record 49 matches—twice as many as Azharuddin and Sunil Gavaskar combined—and guided them to triumph on 21 occasions, seven times more than Azharuddin, who had the second-most victories. Ganguly’s Test batting average as captain was lower, at 37.66, compared to his non-captaincy average of 45.47.

According to statistics, Sourav Ganguly was the fourth Indian to play in more than 300 ODIs, the seventh Indian cricketer to play in 100 Test matches, and the fourth to score the most runs for India overall in Tests.

Records and Successes

Sourav Ganguly, one of the best players on the field, has won numerous honours throughout his illustrious cricket career. Here are some of my accomplishments.

• He is the sole cricketer to receive the Man of Match honour in One-Day Internationals four times a row.
• With 11,363 runs, he ranks third among Indian players and is the ninth-highest run scorer in ODI history.
• In an ICC Champions Trophy final, he has the record for the most outstanding individual score by a batsman.
• In the ICC Champions Trophy’s history, he was the first player to record three centuries.
• Only six cricketers, including him, have amassed 10,000 runs, 100 wickets, and 100 catches in one-day international play.
• His Test batting average was consistently higher than 40.
• In the Cricket World Cup, he holds the best individual score of any Indian batsman.
• He is one of the few cricket players in the world with at least 100 Test matches and 300 ODIs under his belt.
• With 11 victories from 28 matches, he is India’s most successful Test captain outside his home country.