Considered to be one of the greatest left-handers of the game and probably one of India’s finest captains, Sourav Ganguly was a visual treat to watch during his prime. A leader par excellence and a fighter to the core, Ganguly always kept a price on his wicket and hated to give it away easily – especially to a part-timer.
In 1999, it so happened that Ganguly stood his ground after being cleaned up by an Aussie part-timer. Ganguly was in utter disbelief and did not leave for a long time after his dismissal as he could not believe what had happened. The bowler was Greg Blewett – a part-timer – who bowled military medium pace of 125-130 kph. It was the Boxing Day Test in 1999 against Australia at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. Seemed like the ball kept a tad-bit low, and Ganguly inside-edged it onto his stumps. Also Read – Ravichandran Ashwin Reacts on English Cricketer Ollie Robinson’s Suspension Following Old Racist Tweets Going Viral
Gold Rate
Tuesday 28 Jan. 2025
Ganguly perished for 17 off 39 balls in the second essay with the team chasing a mammoth 376 to win. It was Ganguly’s dismissal that triggered a collapse as India lost its next seven wickets for 85 runs. Australia won the match by 180 runs.
Ganguly was not the captain in that Test as Sachin Tendulkar was leading India. Despite India’s humiliating 180-run defeat, Tendulkar was named the man of the match for his brilliant 116 and 52 in the Test.
In the years that followed, Ganguly went on to lead India to the final of the 2003 World Cup. As a leader, he also tapped young talent and honed them to become greats. The former India captain is credited for preparing players who went on to become world-beaters. Some names include Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag among others.
Currently, Ganguly is the president of the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI).
