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Former Indian Cricket player and Captain of the Indian national cricket team, Sourav Ganguly, also known as the ‘Dada’ or ‘Prince of Calcutta’. He was born on 7th July 1982, in the city of Kolkata. His parents lived in a locality called Behala in Kolkata. His mother’s name was Nirupa Ganguly, and his father’s name was Chandidas Ganguly. Left-handed Ganguly was a right-handed medium-fast bowler. At present, Ganguly is the President of BCCI. He was known to be an aggressive and successful captain.
Formative Days
They were two brothers, Snehashis Ganguly, the elder brother, and Sourav Ganguly, the younger brother. Their father was in the business of printing and was one of the richest people in Kolkata. They had a rich upbringing and were never short on resources.
One of his childhood nicknames was ‘Maharaja’, meaning’ the Great king’. As most people of Kolkata love the game of football, so did Sourav Ganguly. He was earlier inclined towards football, and his studies were hampered. His mother was strictly against him joining any kind of sport. His elder brother was already an established cricketer playing for the Bengal cricket team. With his support, Sourav started his career and later got his dream of becoming a cricketer fulfilled.
In his 10th standard, Sourav, with his father’s permission, got enrolled in a cricket coaching camp during the summer holidays. Left-handed Ganguly excelled in cricket as a left-handed batsman. When he made his debut on the state team, his brother was dropped from the state team. His father expired in 2013, on the 21st Feb at the age of 73. After England’s successful tour, he married his childhood love, Dona Roy.
Cricket Career Journey
Apart from being a good left-handed batsman, he was also a very thoughtful bowler. He was a fluent driver on the Offside in batting, so he was also called the ‘God Of The Off Side’. After joining the Indian Cricket team, soon he was appointed as the captain. He played around 311 Day Matches, scoring 11,363 runs and was regarded as a great One Day International (ODI) batsman. He also played in 113 Test Matches and scored 7,212 runs; as an Indian Test captain, he played 49 tests and won 21. With 11 wins in international test matches, Sourav Ganguly is one of the most successful Indian test captains. Though he was not a regular bowler, he took 100 wickets in ODI and 32 wickets in Test Matches. His tenure as a player of the Indian Cricket Team was started in 1992 and lasted till 2008. He has been the President of the Cricket Association Of Bengal from 2015 – to 2019. On October 23, 2019, he took charge as the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
When the Indian Premier League (IPL) started, he was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders team and their captain for 2008. Ganguly is recognised for developing the careers of many young players under his guidance and making the Indian squad into a fearsome fighting team. When Left-handed Ganguly became Indian test captain, the team was at 8th position in ICC Test Rankings, which after his captaincy came up to 2nd place. He was a regular opener in One Day Internationals(ODI) with Sachin Tendulkar. Cricket history recorded his 318 partnership with Rahul Dravid in the 1999 world cup. Greg Chappell was named India’s coach for the Zimbabwe trip. Ganguly’s feud with him drew a lot of attention. Chappell had written India’s Board of Control for Cricket, claiming that Ganguly was “physically and mentally” unable to lead the squad. His “divide and rule” tactics were harming the team. Ganguly, Chappell, and Amitabh Choudhary, the Indian team manager for the Zimbabwe tour, were summoned to appear before the BCCI committee, where they reportedly pledged to work together. As a result of his poor performance and disagreements with the coach, Ganguly was replaced as captain of the squad by Dravid.
Retirement from playing
Presently he is the President of BCCI and Cricket Association of Bengal. He was also Chairman of the BCCI Technical Committee. As part of the ISL team Atletico de Kolkata (ATK), he is also associated with football as a co-owner.
Conclusion
In 2004, Sourav Ganguly was awarded one of India’s highest Civilian Awards, the Padma Shri. In 2013, on 20th May, he was awarded the Banga Bibhushan by the West Bengal Government. Left-handed Ganguly is the greatest One Day International (ODI) batsman and IndianTest Captain. On 21 occasions, he guided his team to victory. Ganguly, together with Tendulkar, had formed the most successful opening pair in One Day Cricket, with the most century partnerships (26) for the first wicket. They have a combined score of almost 7000 runs at an average of 48.98, and they hold the world record for most 50-run partnerships on the first wicket (44 fifties).
