Happy Birthday Sourav Ganguly: One of the cricketing legends was born in India on this day in Kolkata and he was also known as the finest brains in the cricketing history. Sourav Ganguly, who is also known as Dada, who was also the former president of the BCCI.
Dada played his first red ball game versus the hosts England. In that game in 1996, Sourav Ganguly batted at the number three batting position and played a fine knock of 131 runs from 301 deliveries in his debut Test match. This was the second Test of that three-match series which ended in a draw.
But Dada’s innings of 131 runs is still being remembered even now. Ganguly had played 113 Tests and 188 innings for the Men in Blue and scored 7212 runs with one double hundred, 16 centuries and 35 half-centuries. Ganguly’s ODI debut was in 1992 versus the West Indies at The Gabba and he had also played in the Indian Premier League as well.
In the fifty overs format, Dada had played 311 One Day International matches and he scored 11363 runs with 22 centuries and 72 half-centuries for India. In the IPL, Dada made his debut for Kolkata Knight Riders in the game versus Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the 2008 season. Overall, he has scored 1349 runs from 59 matches and 56 innings with seven fifties to his name.
Sourav Ganguly was an inspirational leader for India in the Test and ODI format. He made India such a strong team that now India has been doing great in overseas tours as well. Dada was a good competitor and on his very special day, we list down Three Best Wins Under His Captaincy Stint With The Indian Team –
1. 2002 Natwest Trophy Final At Lords –
The 2002 final between India and England was an epic contest played in the fifty-overs format. This final match of that ODI series is fondly remembered more because Dada waved his Indian jersey at the balcony of the Lords Cricket Ground in London.
India was asked to chase down a mammoth score of 325 runs to win the fifty-over series in England. The visitors of that series, India got off to a good start. Sehwag and Sourav were the Indian openers who laid a good foundation. But the team lost the way in the middle as England clubbed their way back into the match.
However, two Indians who were the youngsters of that side allowed India to script history at Lords. Mohammed Kaif and Yuvraj Singh steadied the sinking ship of India. But once Yuvi got out on 69 runs, Kaif took India over the line. He was unbeaten on 87 runs and India won that encounter by just two wickets and three balls to spare.
2. 2001 2nd Test Match: India Vs Australia In Kolkata –
India had lost the first Test match in Mumbai of that three-match red ball series and they needed to win the second game to stay alive in this series. Australia batted first and piled up a mammoth 1st innings score of 445 runs.
In reply, India was bundled out for just 171 runs in their first innings and they were asked to bat again in the second innings of that Test match. But in the second innings, the two batters VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid batted like warriors for India and then the bowlers also stepped up to deliver the counter punch.
Laxman’s played a very very special knock of 281 runs while The Wall, Dravid scored 180 runs which took India ahead of the Australian total. With the bowl, Harbhajan Singh picked up a hat trick and Sachin Tendulkar also got three wickets. In the end, Australia were bundled out for 212 runs and India won that match by 171 runs.
Under Sourav Ganguly, India became just the second team to win a Test match after follow on in this epic Test match which was played in 2001 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. After this show, India also clinched the series. Dada and his men also won the third and the last red ball match in Chennai.
3. 2003: India Vs Australia In Adelaide –
This win under Dada’s captaincy came when India toured the Aussie nation in 2003 and on this tour, India didn’t lose the series. The first match which was played at Brisbane ended in a draw. But in the second Test match, Australia batted well and posted 556 runs in their first innings due to Ricky Pointing’s 242-run knock.
India’s batting again struggled at the start and it was Laxman Dravid’s partnership which took the visitors of that series out of another huge trouble. The Wall slammed 233 runs while Laxman played a knock of 148 runs in the first innings which helped India to post a score of 523 runs.
Ajit Agarkar picked up a six-wicket haul in the second innings when the Aussies batted and with him, Sachin Tendulkar picked up 2 wickets while Ashish Nehra and Anil Kumble picked up one wicket each to their names, which allowed India to bundle out the batting powerhouse of Australia for just 198 runs.
India was set a target of 230 runs to win the second Test match in Adelaide. But the Indian batters were troubled by the Aussie bowlers once more. It was Rahul Dravid again who came to the rescue. Dravid was unbeaten on 72 runs and saw his team through this run chase and Virender Sehwag was the second top scorer of this match with 47 runs. India won this match by four wickets.
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