'Great player, superb leader' - Wishes pour in on Sourav Ganguly's 50th birthday

Sourav Ganguly, who retired from all forms of cricket in 2011, celebrated his 50th birthday on July 8.

By Chaitanya Prakash

Updated - 08 Jul 2022, 16:44 IST

3 Min Read

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly celebrated his 50th birthday on July 8, 2022. Ganguly, one of the most distinguished figures in Indian cricket still has a great influence in the game, albeit as an administrator as he is the current president of the BCCI.

During his playing days, Ganguly was the man behind conjuring up a combative Indian team that did not fear going toe to toe with the very best in the game. The former Indian cricketer announced himself on the international stage with a match-saving century on debut against England in 1996 at Lord’s.

The southpaw ascended to the leadership role after controversies surrounding the team during the 2000 match-fixing scandal and Sachin Tendulkar’s decision to vacate the captaincy positions. It felt like the left-hander was born to lead the Indian side as his enigmatic personality drew the best out of his players.

One of the greatest moments of his captaincy stint came in 2001 when he annoyed Steve Waugh by arriving late for the toss on four occasions. His Indian team then halted the all-conquering Australian Test team’s 16-game-winning run in Tests by completing a historic 2-1 series victory against Waugh’s side. After the memorable victory against Australia, a young Indian side added a feather in the cap when they defeated England in the 2002 Natwest series final in dramatic circumstances, which evoked the former Indian captain’s iconic shirtless celebration in the Lord’s balcony.

In the same year, India got their hands on the ICC Champions Trophy after the final got washed out due to rain and the trophy was shared. Unfortunately, that was the only ICC event India won under Ganguly as India suffered a humiliating defeat in the 2003 World Cup final at the hands of Australia. The former batter had a great personal campaign in the tournament as he finished with 465 runs at an average of 58.12, including three centuries.

Regarded as one of the finest openers of all time, Ganguly established a formidable opening partnership with Sachin at the top of the order. But, after a drop in form and controversies with the then Indian head coach Greg Chappell, his career went into a tailspin, and soon after a disappointing 2007 World Cup campaign, he decided to step down from his international duties in 2008. The ‘Prince of Kolkata’ finished with over 18000 runs for India and is considered one of the greatest personalities to have graced the cricketing field.

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