Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly has been inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame for his illustrious cricket career. ‘Dada’, who scored more than 18,000 runs in a career spanning 16 years, has described it as the highest honor for a cricketer.
New Delhi [भारत]July 11 (ANI): Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has been inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. He is considered one of the most influential captains of the game and one of India’s finest left-handed batsmen. This honor has been given in view of his extraordinary legacy in world cricket. Ganguly’s 16-year career, which included more than 18,000 international runs, has been honored by his induction into the ICC Hall of Fame.
According to the ICC website, Ganguly said, “I am honored to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. Having my name inducted into the ranks of cricket’s greatest players will be one of my most memorable moments. It has been a privilege to represent India and play alongside so many of the greats of the game, and to now be recognized in this way is truly special.”
He further added, “I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Jay Shah for this great honour, which I consider the highest honor for a cricketer. The game has given me a lot, and I hope that I will continue to serve the game in the years to come. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my loved ones for their support over the years.”
Ganguly’s brilliant career
In an illustrious international career spanning 16 years, Ganguly scored over 18,000 runs across all formats and reshaped Indian cricket with his bold leadership, making the team a formidable force overseas and laying the foundation for one of India’s most successful eras.
Test debut and rise of ‘Dada’
In the summer of 1996, he made his Test debut against England, earning him the nickname ‘Dada’. He immediately made headlines after scoring a century in his very first Test at Lord’s, and then the ‘Prince of Kolkata’ scored a century in the second Test as well, making him the third batsman in history to score centuries in his first two Test innings.
Took over captaincy after match fixing
In 2000, Team India’s camp was embroiled in a match-fixing scandal. Ganguly was then appointed captain of the team, where he started nurturing new talents. Ganguly led India to the final of the 2000 ICC Knockout Trophy for the first time. Another milestone for Team India came in 2001 when the Ganguly-led side defeated Australia 2-1 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The Australian team, captained by Steve Waugh, challenged India to follow-on in the series, but VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid scripted one of the greatest comebacks in Indian cricket history.
memorable moments in captaincy
The former Indian captain’s most memorable moment was definitely the one when he took off his shirt on the balcony of Lord’s when India defeated England in the NatWest Trophy final in 2002, pulling them from the jaws of defeat. Ganguly also led India to the World Cup final in 2003, where they lost to Australia in the championship game. In 2004, he also oversaw the ODI and Test series in Pakistan. The Test series win was India’s first on Pakistani soil.
Controversy and retirement
‘Dada’ also had a memorable spat with then coach Greg Chappell in 2005-06, when the ‘Prince of Kolkata’ was dropped from Team India’s squad. He played his last Test in 2008 against Australia in Nagpur. He played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) until 2012, when he retired from domestic cricket.
Ganguly’s career statistics
‘Dada’ played 113 Test and 311 ODI matches for India. In his international career, the left-handed batsman scored 18,575 runs across all formats.
test career
In the longer format, Sourav played 113 matches. He scored 7,212 runs at an average of 42.17. He scored 16 centuries and 35 half-centuries in 188 innings, with his best score being 239. He scored a century on his Test debut against England at Lord’s in 1996. As a captain, he led India in 49 matches. Of these, India won 21 matches, lost 13 and 15 were drawn. With a win percentage of 42.85, he is one of India’s most successful captains.
ODI career
Ganguly also played 311 ODI matches for India, scoring 11,363 runs at an average of 41.02. He has scored 22 centuries and 72 half-centuries in 300 innings, with his best score being 183. He led India in 147 ODIs, winning 76, losing 66 and five with no result. His win percentage in ODIs was 51.70. (ANI)
(Except for this headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet News editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)