Ganguly, Sourav (1972-…), ranks among the greatest batsmen and team captains in Indian cricket . Ganguly’s batting style was left-hand bat, and his bowling style was right-arm medium. In One Day International (ODI) competition, Ganguly was the third Indian player to exceed 10,000 runs. One Day International matches and Test matches are the highest level of play in the sport. In 1996, Ganguly and Indian star Sachin Tendulkar formed one of the greatest opening pairs in ODI history. In the 1999 World Cup, he and partner Rahul Dravid combined for 318 runs, the highest overall partnership score in World Cup history. For a discussion of cricket positions and terms, see Cricket .
Ganguly served as Indian Test captain from 2000 to 2005, taking over after a match-fixing scandal had rocked international cricket. He led India to the 2003 World Cup final, losing to Australia. As captain, he won 21 Test matches, a national record until M. S. Dhoni broke it by winning 27 Test matches. Ganguly called for talented but inexperienced cricketers to be selected to the national team and gave them chances to prove themselves. Under his captaincy, Dhoni, Virender Sehwag , and other young players became stars of Indian cricket.
Sourav Chandidas Ganguly was born on July 8, 1972, in Calcutta (now Kolkata ), India. He made his ODI debut against the West Indies in 1992, and his Test debut against England in 1996. In the English Test match, Ganguly gained immediate international attention by hitting a century at the famous Lord’s Cricket Ground in London. A century is a score of between 100 and 199 runs in a single innings.
In domestic cricket in India, Ganguly played for Bengal from 1990 to 2012; the Kolkata Knight Riders from 2008 to 2010; and the Pune Warriors India in 2011 and 2012, when he retired. He also played in the United Kingdom for Lancashire (2000), Glamorgan (2005), and Northamptonshire (2006). Following his retirement, Ganguly became a popular cricket commentator on Indian television.
