Early Life
Born on July 8, 1972 in Calcutta, India, Sourav Ganguly is the youngest son of Chandidas and Nirupa Ganguly. His father ran a flourishing print business and as such, Ganguly had a comfortable early life. He has an elder brother Snehashish who was also a cricket player.
Sports Career Beginnings
Ganguly’s journey to becoming one of the most celebrated cricketers in Indian history commenced at an early age. His elder brother Snehasish introduced him to the sport and soon after, the left-handed batsman joined a cricket academy.
Rise to Stride
After honing his skills over several years, Ganguly made his test debut against England where he scored a century on June 20, 1996. That same year during the One-Day Internationals (ODI), he became the third batsman to score centuries in two consecutive matches.
Captaincy
In 2000, for his exceptional skillful playing and leadership potential, Indian team management named him as the new captain of the Indian cricket team following Sachin Tendulkar’s resignation. Leading with charisma and determination, he steered Team India to capture several crucial victories including the NatWest Series win against England in 2002.
Later Achievements
Under Ganguly’s indomitable leadership style, Team India reached the finals of World Cup Cricket 2003 where they lost against Australia. However, this defeat did not diminish Ganguly’s sheen as it was during his regime that various remarkable faces of contemporary Indian cricket like Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh emerged.
Retirement & After-Cricket Career
Ganguly announced his retirement from international cricket in 2008, ending an illustrious career that spanned over a decade. Post-retirement, he delved into commentary and administrative roles within cricket. In October 2019, Ganguly took charge as the President of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), becoming one of the most successful cricketers to carve out a significant administrators’ role.
Overall Legacy
Sourav Ganguly is celebrated as one of the greatest cricket captains India has ever seen. Known by his popular nickname ‘Dada’, he will ever be remembered not just as an aggressive skipper but also for his contributions to Indian cricket beyond batting and captaincy.
