Sourav Ganguly turns 50: Let’s revisit some great achievements of ‘Dada’

New Delhi: Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly, who was regarded as ‘God of off-side’ by Rahul Dravid, made many spectacular contributions in the field of cricket and continues to do so as Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President. As the left-handed batter turned 50 today, let’s turn some pages of his almost two-decade-long career.
Ganguly during his stint on the field has been known for his unique leadership style. Popularly known as ‘Dada’, he made his Test debut against England in the summer of 1996. He immediately made headlines as he went on to score a century in his maiden Test at Lord’s.
Ganguly smashed a century in his second Test. Thus, he became the only third batsman to score a century in each of his first two innings.
Also Read MS Dhoni turns 41, cricket fraternity extends birthday wishes for “Captain Cool” The ‘Prince of Kolkata’ then announced himself in the ODI format as he won four consecutive Man of the Match awards in 1997 against Pakistan. In the 1999 World Cup, Ganguly played a knock of 183 runs against Sri Lanka and was involved in a 318-run partnership with Rahul Dravid.
In 2000, the Team India camp got trapped in a match-fixing scandal. Ganguly was then appointed the captain of the side, where he started grooming new talent.
Ganguly first led India to the finals of the 2000 ICC Knockout Trophy. In 2001, Team India achieved another milestone as the Ganguly-led side defeated Australia 2-1 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.