Sourav Ganguly over the years: The journey full of Dadagiri from 1992-2008 in pictures
If there is one person who can be termed as the warrior as well as the saviour of Indian cricket, it has to be Sourav Ganguly. Ganguly has not only been a phenomenal cricketer for the country, but has also taken up the administrative reins of Indian cricket after his retirement.
His passionate leadership took Indian cricket from the dark pits of a fixing scandal to a force to be reckoned with in world cricket. He was a champion batsman, a player with an undeniable presence on the field. With Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Anil Kumble, he formed the dream team. A team that was passionate, preserving and full of poise.
These four players, led by Dada, built Indian cricket brick by brick and eventually, made everyone else take notice of their overpowering spirit.
On his 46th birthday, let’s take a look at his career through a picture series:
After being a prolific run-scorer in the 1991-92 Ranji season, Ganguly received his first ODI call-up back in 1992. He made his debut against the West Indies, but could score just three runs in the match. The team dropped him thereafter, citing issues with his behaviour and “brash” attitude.
The Kolkata-born player went back to domestic cricket and smashed runs in all competitions. His sensational knocks resulted in him knocking on the doors of the national team once again, and he was finally recalled to the Indian squad for the 1996 England tour. He replaced Navjot Singh Sindhu in the Test squad.
Both Dada and Rahul Dravid made their debut in the same match, and had an instant impact. While Dravid was unlucky to get out for 95, Ganguly went on to score a sensational 131 in front of the English crowd at Lord’s. He followed this up with a mind-blowing 148 at Trent Bridge in the very next match, announcing his arrival in world cricket.
If there was one tournament that bore witness to the tremendous potential of these two youngsters, it was ICC World Cup 1999. Both Ganguly and Dravid were in brilliant nick throughout the tournament. The one match where the duo stood out was against Sri Lanka, where they put together a 318-run stand. Ganguly scored a mind-blowing 183 off 157 deliveries, and smashed the Sri Lankan bowlers for 17 fours and 7 mammoth sixes.
