Sourav Ganguly Biography
Sourav Ganguly, popularly known as Dada, is one of the greatest cricketers to have ever represented the Indian cricket team. He was born on July 8, 1972, in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Ganguly comes from a family of cricketers, with his father Chandidas Ganguly having played first-class cricket for Bengal and his elder brother, Snehasish Ganguly, having also represented Bengal in domestic cricket.
Sourav Ganguly had a natural talent for cricket from a very young age. He started playing cricket when he was only three years old, and by the time he turned 16, he was already playing for the Bengal Under-19 cricket team. In 1989, he was selected to represent the Indian Under-19 cricket team, which went on to win the World Cup that year.
Sourav Ganguly’s Debut
Ganguly made his debut for the Indian cricket team in 1992 in an ODI against the West Indies. However, it wasn’t until 1996 that he became a regular member of the team. Ganguly’s early career was characterized by inconsistency, and he often struggled against quality fast bowling.
But all that changed in 1996 when he was promoted to open the batting for India during the tour of England. He made an immediate impact, scoring two centuries in three innings, including a stunning 131 at Lord’s, which helped India win the match. Ganguly’s performance in England marked a turning point in his career, and he went on to establish himself as one of India’s finest batsmen.
Ganguly was known for his elegant strokeplay and the ability to play under pressure. He was particularly strong on the off-side and was adept at cutting and driving the ball. He was also a brilliant captain, known for his aggressive and fearless style of leadership.
Captaincy
In 2000, Ganguly was appointed as the captain of the Indian cricket team. He took over the captaincy at a time when Indian cricket was going through a difficult phase. The team had just been knocked out of the 2000 ICC Champions Trophy in the first round, and the Indian cricket board was in a state of disarray.
Ganguly’s captaincy was marked by a number of remarkable achievements. In 2001, he led India to a historic victory over Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The series win ended Australia’s record-breaking 16-match winning streak in Test cricket. Ganguly’s captaincy also helped India reach the final of the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup, where they lost to Australia.
Under Ganguly’s leadership, India achieved a number of notable victories, including Test series wins against England, Zimbabwe, West Indies, and Sri Lanka. Ganguly’s captaincy also helped nurture a new generation of Indian cricketers, including Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, and Harbhajan Singh.
However, Ganguly’s tenure as captain was not without controversy. He was involved in a number of high-profile disputes with other players, most notably with former coach Greg Chappell. The disagreement with Chappell led to Ganguly’s removal as captain in 2005.
Ganguly continued to play for India as a batsman until 2008. In his final Test match, against Australia in Nagpur, he scored a century in the first innings, becoming only the second player in history to achieve this feat in his final Test match.
Retirement
After retiring from cricket, Ganguly became a television commentator and also took up administrative roles in cricket. He was appointed as the President of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) in 2015 and went on to become the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2019.