Sourav Ganguly is the former Indian captain who redefined the concept of aggression, intensity, and passion in the game of cricket. He taught team India to win overseas matches. He was highly successful with the bat and also contributed with the ball for his team and gave many winning performances. He won several awards and recognition globally from various fraternities and is one often regarded as one of the best left-handed cricketers ever to have played.
Below are 5 of his best stunts for team India -
5. 141* vs South Africa
In the 2nd semi-final of ICC Knock-Out trophy, Indian clashed with South Africa. Ganguly paired up with Sachin Tendulkar and opened the Innings for India. He smashed the ball throughout the ground and scored a massive 141. This gave India the momentum and the Indian bowlers restricted South Africa to 200. India won the match and qualified for the Finals. Ganguly was awarded man of the match for his performance.
4. 90 vs England
Ganguly as a captain, always lead team India by example. During a match with England, India’s batting collapsed enormously. He scored an outstanding 90 by hitting five 4s and three 6s. This helped India reach a decent total of 204. He used his cricketing brains to perform the bowling changes and India bowled England out for 181. India won the match by 23 runs and Ganguly became the Man of the Match.
3. 96 and 33-2 vs Pakistan
India and Pakistan encounters are always thrilling. In a match between both these countries, in 1997-98 at Toronto, Ganguly scored a massive match-winning performance of 96. He smashed bowlers like Sahid Afridi, Aaquib Javed, and Azhar Mahmood all across the stadium. While bowling also, he picked up two wickets for just 33 runs at an economy of 3.3. Even though India lost the match, Ganguly became man of the match.
2. 239 & 91, 20-1 vs Pakistan
Sourav Ganguly registered his career-best score of 239 against Pakistan in a test match. In the first innings, he hit 30 fours and two sixes before getting out. He also took the ball and picked up the wicket of Salman Butt. Ganguly batted in the second innings and scored an awesome 91 and just missed his century by 9 runs. India played superbly throughout the match and was just three wickets short of victory. The match ended in a draw and Ganguly became the Man of the match.
1. 183 vs Sri Lanka
It was the 1999 World Cup. Ganguly opened the innings for India. He played an unbelievable knock. Ganguly along with Rahul Dravid made a record partnership of 324 runs. He alone scored 183 and it remained his highest score ever. He took just 158 deliveries and maintained a strike rate of 115. This was arguably his best performance ever.
