Introduction
Sourav Ganguly is a former Indian cricket team captain, and the second highest run-getter from India in the ODIs. Also, he is known as the ‘God of off side’ due to his exemplary skill of playing shots on the off side.
Ganguly is not a name, he is an emotion that every Indian experiences when they hear the term ‘Dada’- the true legend. Let’s trace the journey of Sourav Ganguly as he turns 48 today!
Biography of Dada!
Sourav ganguly was born on July 8, 1972, in Kolkata. Chandidas and nirupa ganguly were blessed with their second child after Snehashish ganguly. Chandidas ran a flourishing print business. Hence, they were a rich family and led luxurious lives. Also, Sourav’s joint family home in Behala, Southern Calcutta, has nearly 30 residing members with more than 45 rooms. In addition, Sourav is a deeply religious person and observes a fast every Tuesday.
Sourav loved football and was super good at the sport while he was in school. His father was in the cricket association of Bengal. So, he put him in a cricket academy just to keep him away from doing mischiefs.
Also, his brother had quite an influence on him. Snehashish played for the Bengal cricket team. In addition, they also built a couple of practice pitches at home and started developing Sourav’s skills.
Though a right hander, he started batting left handed so that he could use his brother’s cricket kit.
Domestic career of Ganguly
Sourav rose through the ranks by virtue of his performances in school cricket. At the age of 18, he made his Ranji Trophy debut in the finals between Bengal and Delhi at the Eden Gardens.
While the match ended in a draw, Bengal were crowned as the champions.
International Debut
Based on his performances in the domestic competition, he was handed an ODI debut in January 1992 against West Indies. Also, not only did he fail in his first outing but he also became infamous for his arrogant attitude.
He was then dropped from the national side with immediate effect, making him go back to domestic competitions. He scored heavily in the next two seasons of Ranji Trophy. Further, in a Duleep Trophy match just before India’s tour of England, he played a brilliant innings of 171 and was again selected to play for India.
He made his test debut at the Lord’s and made the highest score (131) by any batsman on debut at Lord’s. He again scored a century in the first innings of his second test and became only the third batsman to score centuries in first two innings of their career.
Ganguly, then went onto score 1533 test runs including, four hundred and eight fifties and 3237 ODI runs including six hundred and 23 fifties from 1997 to the 1999 World Cup. Also, he hit his career best score of 183 runs in ODIs during the 1999 World Cup.
Personal life of Dada!
Sourav and Dona were child sweethearts and neighbours. The two families had good relations earlier but the friendship didn’t last. So much so that they were reportedly not even on talking terms. They knew their families would never agree for this alliance.
Hence, they eloped and got married secretly. Initially, their families were upset, but eventually they gave in. They reconciled and decide to start afresh. Finally, the two lovebirds got married observing all the traditional rituals, with the blessings of their respective families. They tied the know officially on 21st February 1997.
He dated Nagma post his marriage with Dona. Also, there were rumors of them getting married secretly in a temple. But, this is all just a speculation and the bond between them still remains strong.
In November 2001, Sourav and Dona were blessed with a baby girl In November 2001, and they named their daughter Sana.
Twelve achievements of Sourav Ganguly!
Sourav Ganguly turns 48 today! Henceforth, let us take a sneak peak into his achievements today. And, also celebrate him.
1) Ganguly was named Sportstar Person of the Year in 1998. Sportstar is a prestigious sports magazine.
2) In the same year (1998) Ganguly won the Arjuna Award for his outstanding performance.
3) In 2000 Ganguly won the CEAT cricketer of the year award.
4) In 2001-2002 Ganguly won the CEAT Captain of the year award for his outstanding display
5) In 2004 he won the Padma Shri award, the fourth highest civilian award in India, for his outstanding contribution to cricket.
6) Rammohan Roy award in 2004 for his outstanding leadership skill as captain.
7) In 2001-2002 Eden Test in Kolkata, under the leadership of Ganguly India broke Australia’s unbeaten Test match winning record.
8) Ganguly is the fourth best skipper in the Word Cup. He has led India in 11 matches and lost only two. His winning percentage is 81.81 per cent. He is only behind of Ricky Ponting, Clive Llyod, and MS Dhoni.
9) He is India’s most successful Indian captain on overseas conditions with 11 wins.
10) Ganguly is the only cricketer who won four consecutive man of the match in ODI cricket.
11) One of the five cricketers who scored 10000 runs, 100 wickets and 100 catches in ODI cricket.
12) The fastest batsman to score 9000 runs in ODI.
Post Retirement
Ganguly entered the commentary box after his retirement and is an active administrator for the BCCI and ICC. He is appointed as the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) and President of the editorial board with Wisden India.
Conclusion
Today, Sourav Ganguly turns 48! And, we would surely want to thank him for all the memories plus for the courage he has shown to look eye-on-eye with the opponents. Further, we also appreciate him for all his contribution in the field then and now!
