Winning Ranji Trophy final on first-class debut best moment of my career: Sourav Ganguly
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly, widely considered to be one of the greatest Indian left-handed batsmen of all time, achieved numerous accolades during his 12-year international career, including captaining India to the final of the 2003 World Cup. However, it is winning the Ranji Trophy final in 1989-90 on his first-class debut that he considers as the best moment of his career.
“At 17-18 years, making a Ranji Trophy debut that too in the final... It was probably the best moment of my life,” Ganguly said, during a ceremony felicitating completion of 25 years of the Ranji Trophy triumph.
Talking about the nervousness he felt during what was arguably the biggest match of his life up to that point, he said: “Honestly, the first two balls hit the bat before I could realise and react. Then I gathered myself overcoming the nervousness. I played a few shots just after seeing the ball.”
Although the final in question, between Delhi and Bengal, ended in a draw, Bengal were crowned victorious as, according to previous rules, the team with better runs to wickets ratio were considered winners.
It was like a fairy tale: Ganguly
Explaining his rationale behind calling it the best moment of his career, he added: “For a young player to see his team emerge as the country’s best in his very first match. The mindset automatically changes and you tend to improve in a better way after getting into a winning side straightway. It was a winning team when I came and it definitely helped me in my game.”
Since that victory, however, Bengal have failed to win India’s premier domestic competition, and Ganguly dearly hopes that they can add another Ranji Trophy title to their collection in the near future.
“I just hope it does not take another 25 years to win another Ranji Trophy title.”
The left-hander also added that getting to be part of a side which had domestic stalwarts like Arun Lal at such an early age helped him to understand what was required to succeed at the top level.
“It was my first opportunity to play with many renowned players whom I’d seen from the sidelines until then. The likes of Ashok Malhotra, Arun Lal, Utpal Chatterjee and my elder brother Snehasish... I used to see their practice from behind.
“I came to know about it (his debut) on the eve of the match from our skipper Sambaran Banerjee, whom I still consider my captain. That excitement. It’s very hard to explain what happened afterwards. It was like a fairy tale.”