5 Greatest ODI Knocks of Sourav Ganguly
Fewer people have divided opinion in Indian Cricket like Sourav Ganguly did. What some called charisma, others called arrogance. However, few will argue about his greatness as a captain, and fewer still about his batsmanship, especially in the ODIs. As Rahul Dravid once said, "On the off-side, first there is God, then Sourav Ganguly". On his 46th birthday, let us snatch the time turner and roll back the clock to some of the most glorious ODI knocks of Dada.
#5 98 v West Indies, Nagpur, 2007
This is the only non-century innings in this list, but, perhaps the most important one for Sourav personally. This knock came on the back of the Chappell saga. Having lost his captaincy, and been dropped, Sourav Ganguly made it back to the side, courtesy a truckload of runs in the domestic circuit.
An Indian captain, who had led the team to the World Cup final after a gap of 20 years, had to go back and prove himself in the domestic circles. Yet, Dada, whom some come called egoistic, did that.
And on the first match on his return after 16 months in the wilderness, he showed what a champion he is. Playing his trademark shots through the offside and charging down the track to spinners, Ganguly batted as if he had never left. The cut, the drive, the loft over long off, they were all there. Whatever he touched, turned into gold, and it was as if nothing could touch him.
But alas, his old foe -- the runout returned. A bit of hesitancy, a direct hit, and an imperial comeback knock was cut short two runs short of a well deserved hundred.