Happy Birthday Sourav Ganguly: Top batting performances by Indian cricket legend

Happy Birthday Sourav Ganguly: One of India’s greatest cricketers, Sourav Ganguly turned 50 on 8 July. The Indian legend, often referred to as ‘Dada’, was a flamboyant batsman, a fearless leader and a great mentor. The ‘Prince of Kolkata’ will always be considered the person responsible for revolutionizing Indian cricket. The belligerent spirit and confidence that Ganguly instilled in the team are qualities that have now become synonymous with the Indian team.

Like most left-handed batsmen, Ganguly was a handsome stroke-maker with an aggressive mindset. His classic cover drives and brutal cut shots were a sight to behold. During his long career, he represented India He scored 11363 and 7212 runs in 311 ODIs and 113 Tests respectively.

On Sourav Ganguly’s birthday, let’s take a look at some of his scintillating performances with the bat:

1. 131 against England, 1996
   Ganguly announced his Test debut in the ‘Mecca of Cricket’ with his maiden century against England. One of the greatest batsmen ever emerged at the Lord’s Stadium, batting at number three.
   Ganguly was fearless and scored 131 runs which helped India get back in the game. He was flexible, stayed at the crease for a long time and faced 301 balls. This innings of a young Ganguly helped India save the Test match.
2. 141* against South Africa, 2000
   In 2000, India faced South Africa in the semi-finals of the ICC Knockout Cup. Sourav Ganguly won the toss and decided to bat first and assigned himself the responsibility of the proceedings. After a solid start, Ganguly shared a 145-run stand for the second wicket with Rahul Dravid.
   In the death overs, Ganguly decided to launch an all-round attack on the Proteas and remained unbeaten on 141 off 142 balls with the help of 11 fours and six sixes. The pressure of the mammoth target was too much for the South African side as they were bundled out for just 200 runs to guide India to a 95-run victory.
3. 239 against Pakistan, 2007
   Ganguly played one of the best innings of his life in the last match of the three-match Test series against arch-rivals Pakistan. He came to bat when India were struggling at 44/2 and played carefully to stabilize the innings.
   Ganguly then played a huge innings of 239 runs which included 30 fours and two sixes. The southpaw got off to a strong start in the second innings as well, but fell nine runs short of the century mark. India were only three wickets away from victory when the match was called off due to rain.
4. 153* against New Zealand, 1999
   The third one day international match between India and New Zealand was played on a damp pitch. Indian batsmen struggled against Kiwi bowling. And everyone remained on top except Ganguly.
   Ganguly fought as usual and played an unbeaten knock of 153 runs to take India to a total of 261. During the Kiwi chase, Ganguly dismissed the dangerous Adam Paro which sealed India’s victory and his amazing all-round performance helped India secure it. Series 2-1.
5. 98* against Sri Lanka, 2001
   This particular innings was not Ganguly’s highest or fastest innings, but it was certainly an innings that defined his fearless personality. Ganguly was going through poor form as he did not score a single half-century in his last 13 innings. After losing the first Test, India had to chase down a tight target of 264 runs in the second innings. Sri Lankan bowlers Dilhara Fernando and Chaminda Vaas were bowling as accurate as ever. Muttiah Muralitharan was the strongest threat in the fourth innings at his home ground.
   But Ganguly and his deputy Rahul Dravid overcame all odds with the third wicket of 91 runs. Ganguly led the Indian team to a famous victory with a scintillating unbeaten knock of 98 runs, an innings that reflected all the essence of the great legend.

Get all the latest updates cricket news, cricket pictures, cricket videos And cricket score Here