Quiz: How well did you follow Sourav Ganguly's cricket career?

One of the finest captains of the Indiancricket team, Sourav Chandidas Ganguly completed his half-century come July 8, 2022. Nicknamed ‘Dada’, the legendary cricketer turned 50 just a day after Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s 41st birthday. July is indeed a month of legendary Indian skippers. Born in the locality of Behala in Kolkata in the year 1972, Ganguly is the current President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The former skipper, who is also known as the ‘Prince of Kolkata’, has played 113 Tests and over 300 One-Day Internationals in his exceptional international career which lasted for 16 long years.

He made his debut in an ODI against West Indies in Brisbane in the Benson & Hedges Tri-Series in 1992. Four years later, he played his maiden Test against England at the historic Lord’s stadium in 1996. It turned out to be quite a remarkable debut for him as he smashed a memorable century. Ganguly played a solid knock of 131 off 301 as the match ended in a draw. In 1999, he was appointed as the skipper of the ODI team. ‘Dada’ led India to the finals of the 2000 ICC Knockout Trophy where they lost the summit clash to New Zealand.

Under his leadership, India jointly won the Champions Trophy with Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka in 2002 and also made it to the finals of the 2003 World Cup, held in South Africa. After a poor start in the tournament, Ganguly and his men pulled up the socks to reach the final of the marquee event for the first time since 1983. His team came second-best against a formidable Australian side as they lost the grand finale by 125 runs.

Sourav Ganguly has the highest individual score for India in World Cups

Sourav Ganguly still holds the Indian record for scoring the most runs in an innings in World Cup tournaments. He achieved the feat by slamming 183 runs against Sri Lanka in Taunton in the 1999 World Cup. Dada faced 158 deliveries and struck 17 fours and seven maximums as he also shared a mammoth 318-run stand for the second wicket with Rahul Dravid. The knock remains Ganguly’s best score in the 50-overs format.

Talking about his overall record, Ganguly scored 7212 Test runs at an average of 42.17 which included 16 centuries and 35 half-centuries. In ODIs, he racked up 11363 runs at an average of 41.02 with 72 fifties. As a leader, the southpaw won 76 matches out of 146 in the ODIs. Ganguly holds the record for winning the second-most away Tests (11) for India in 28 matches after Virat Kohli’s 16 victories. On his special occasion, we wish Sourav Ganguly a very happy 50th birthday and a healthy life ahead!

Meanwhile, let’s test your knowledge in this quiz based on Sourav Ganguly’s cricket career: