Sourav Ganguly facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sourav Ganguly
Ganguly in 2008
Chairman of the ICC Men's Cricket Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office 17 November 2021
Preceded by	Anil Kumble
35th President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India
In office 23 October 2019 – 18 October 2022
Preceded by	C.K. Khanna
Succeeded by	Roger Binny
16th President of the Cricket Association of Bengal
In office 2015–2019
Preceded by	Jagmohan Dalmiya
Succeeded by	Avishek Dalmiya Personal information Full name Sourav Chandidas Ganguly Born (1972-07-08) 8 July 1972 (age 53) Behala, Calcutta, West Bengal, India Nickname Dada, Prince of Calcutta, Maharaj, Bengal Tiger Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) Batting Left-handed Bowling Right-arm medium Role Batsman Relations Dona Ganguly ​ (m. 1997)​ Sana Ganguly (daughter) Snehasish Ganguly (brother) International information National side India (1992–2008) Test debut (cap 206) 20 June 1996 v England Last Test 6 November 2008 v Australia ODI debut (cap 84) 11 January 1992 v West Indies Last ODI 15 November 2007 v Pakistan ODI shirt no. 99 (previously 21, 24, 1, 2) Domestic team information Years Team 1990–2010 Bengal 2000 Lancashire 2005 Glamorgan 2006 Northamptonshire 2008–2010 Kolkata Knight Riders 2011–2012 Pune Warriors India Career statistics Competition Test ODI FC LA Matches 113 311 254 437 Runs scored 7,212 11,363 15,687 15,622 Batting average 42.17 41.02 44.18 43.32 100s/50s 16/35 22/72 33/89 31/97 Top score 239 183 239 183 Balls bowled 3,117 4,561 11,108 8,199 Wickets 32 100 167 171 Bowling average 52.53 38.49 36.52 38.86 5 wickets in innings 0 2 4 2 10 wickets in match 0 0 0 0 Best bowling 3/28 5/16 6/46 5/16 Catches/stumpings 71/– 100/– 168/– 131/– Medal record Men's Cricket Representing  India ICC Cricket World Cup Runner-up 2003 South Africa-Zimbabwe-Kenya ICC Champions Trophy Winner 2002 Sri Lanka Runner-up 2000 Kenya ACC Asia Cup Runner-up 1997 Sri Lanka Runner-up 2004 Sri Lanka Source: ESPNcricinfo, 2 January 2013
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Sourav Chandidas Ganguly (born 8 July 1972) is a famous Indian cricket commentator and former cricket player. People often call him Dada, which means "elder brother" in Bengali. He is also known as the Maharaja of Indian Cricket.

Sourav Ganguly was the captain of the Indian national cricket team. Many people consider him one of India's best cricket captains ever. As captain, he led India to win the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy. He also guided the team to the finals of the 2003 Cricket World Cup, the 2000 ICC KnockOut Trophy, and the 2004 Asia Cup.

Ganguly scored 11,363 runs in his One Day International (ODI) career. This places him among the top run-scorers in the world. He was one of the first batsmen to score over 10,000 runs in ODI cricket. He holds the record for the highest score by an Indian batsman in an ODI World Cup match (183 runs). In 2002, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack ranked him as the sixth greatest ODI batsman of all time. He stopped playing international cricket in 2008 and retired from all forms of cricket in 2012.

In 2004, Ganguly received the Padma Shri, which is India's fourth-highest civilian award. This award recognized his great contributions to sports. In 2019, he was chosen as the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He also helped with investigations into cricket-related issues.

Early Life and Family

Sourav Ganguly was born on 8 July 1972 in Calcutta. He is the youngest son of Chandidas and Nirupa Ganguly. His father, Chandidas, had a successful printing business and was a very wealthy man. Sourav had a comfortable childhood and was nicknamed 'Maharaj', meaning 'Great King'. His father passed away in 2013 at the age of 73 after a long illness.

Ganguly went to St. Xavier's Collegiate School in Kolkata. Later, he earned a degree in commerce from St. Xavier's College, Kolkata.

At first, Sourav was interested in football, which was very popular in Calcutta. However, his mother, Nirupa, was not keen on him pursuing sports as a career. His older brother, Snehasish Ganguly, was already a well-known cricketer for the Bengal cricket team. Snehasish supported Sourav's dream. He asked their father to enroll Sourav in a cricket coaching camp during his summer holidays. Sourav was in tenth grade at that time.

Even though he was right-handed, Sourav learned to bat left-handed. This allowed him to use his brother's cricket gear. After showing great promise as a batsman, he joined a cricket academy. His family even built an indoor gym and a concrete cricket pitch at their home. This allowed Sourav and Snehasish to practice regularly. They often watched old cricket matches, especially those played by David Gower, whom Sourav admired.

After scoring a century against the Orissa Under–15 team, Sourav became captain of St Xavier's School's cricket team. Some of his teammates felt he was arrogant. Once, while on tour with a junior team, Ganguly reportedly refused to be the twelfth man. This role involves helping with equipment and drinks for players. He felt these duties were below his social status. However, his excellent playing skills earned him a chance to play first-class cricket for Bengal in 1989. This was the same year his brother was dropped from the team.

Sourav is married to Indian classical dancer Dona Ganguly. They have a daughter named Sana, who was born in 2001.

Health Challenges

On 2 January 2021, Ganguly experienced chest pain while exercising. Doctors later found that he had three blocked coronary arteries, which caused a mild heart attack. He had a procedure called primary angioplasty on the same day to clear one of the blockages.

Cricket Career

Early Days and Big Debut

The Pavilion at Lord's, where Ganguly made his Test debut in 1996

After a great season in the Ranji Trophy in 1990–91, Ganguly made his One Day International (ODI) debut for India in 1992. He scored only three runs against the West Indies. He was quickly dropped from the team because some thought he was "arrogant" and questioned his attitude. There were rumors that he refused to carry drinks for his teammates, which he later denied.

He worked hard in domestic cricket, scoring many runs in the 1993–94 and 1994–95 Ranji seasons. After scoring 171 runs in the 1995–96 Duleep Trophy, he was called back to the Indian team for a tour of England in 1996. He played in one ODI but was not chosen for the first Test. However, after teammate Navjot Singh Sidhu left the tour, Ganguly made his Test debut against England at Lord's Cricket Ground. Rahul Dravid also debuted in the same match.

England had won the first Test. But Ganguly scored a century (131 runs) in his debut match, becoming only the third cricketer to do so at Lord's. His score of 131 is still the highest by any batsman on debut at that ground. India did not need to bat again, and the match ended in a draw. In the next Test match at Trent Bridge, he scored 136 runs. This made him only the third batsman to score a century in each of his first two Test innings. He and Sachin Tendulkar shared a 255-run partnership, which was a record for India outside of India at that time. This Test also ended in a draw, giving England a 1–0 series win. Ganguly scored 48 runs in the second innings.

Marriage and ODI Success

Ganguly in Sri Lanka in 2008.

Weeks after his successful tour of England, Ganguly married his childhood sweetheart, Dona Roy. Their families were not on good terms at the time, and the news caused some upset. However, both families later made peace, and a formal wedding was held in February 1997. In the same year, Ganguly scored his first ODI century, hitting 113 runs against Sri Lanka.

Later that year, he won four "man of the match" awards in a row during the Sahara Cup against Pakistan. In one of these matches, he took five wickets for only 16 runs, which was his best bowling performance in an ODI. After a quiet period in Test cricket, his form returned at the end of the year with three centuries in four Tests, all against Sri Lanka. Two of these centuries involved big partnerships with Sachin Tendulkar.

In January 1998, during the final of the 1997-98 Silver Jubilee Independence Cup in Dhaka, India successfully chased down 315 runs. Ganguly won the Man of the Match award. In March 1998, he helped India defeat Australia in Kolkata. He took three wickets after opening the bowling with his medium pace.

Ganguly was part of the Indian team for the 1999 Cricket World Cup in England. In the match against Sri Lanka at Taunton, India batted first. After Sadagoppan Ramesh was out, Ganguly scored an amazing 183 runs from 158 balls. He hit 17 fours and seven sixes. This was the second-highest score in World Cup history at the time and the highest by an Indian player. His partnership of 318 runs with Rahul Dravid was the highest in World Cup history and the second highest in all ODI cricket. In 1999–2000, India lost Test series to Australia and South Africa. Ganguly struggled in Tests, scoring 224 runs at an average of 22.40. However, his ODI form was excellent, with five centuries that season.

Becoming Captain and Achievements

The shirt that Ganguly took off at the final of the NatWest Series, on display at a store in London.

In 2000, after some challenges faced by the team, Ganguly was made captain of the Indian cricket team. This happened because Tendulkar stepped down due to health reasons, and Ganguly was the vice-captain. He started well as captain, leading India to a series win over South Africa in a five-match ODI series. He also led the team to the finals of the 2000 ICC KnockOut Trophy. He scored two centuries in that tournament, including one in the final. However, New Zealand won the final by four wickets.

In 2001, during Australia's tour of India, Ganguly caused some discussion by being late for the coin toss four times. This annoyed the opposing captain, Steve Waugh. India won the Test series 2–1, ending Australia's streak of 16 consecutive Test wins. In November 2001, Ganguly's wife Dona gave birth to their daughter Sana.

During the final match of the 2002 NatWest Series at Lord's, India won after amazing performances by Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif. Ganguly famously took off his shirt and waved it in the air to celebrate. He later said he was copying something British player Andrew Flintoff had done during a tour of India. In 2003, India reached the World Cup Final for the first time since 1983, but they lost to Australia. Ganguly had a great tournament personally, scoring 465 runs with three centuries.

Shirt swayed by Sourav Ganguly

By 2004, Ganguly had achieved great success as captain. Many in the media saw him as India's most successful cricket captain. However, his own batting performance declined during his captaincy, especially after the World Cup. In 2004, Australia won a Test series in India for the first time since 1969. There were rumors that Ganguly disagreed with the cricket officials in Nagpur about the type of pitch for the Third Test. The groundsmen reportedly went against Ganguly's wishes.

After a period of inconsistent form in 2004 and poor form in 2005, he was dropped from the team in October 2005. The captaincy was given to Rahul Dravid. Ganguly decided not to retire and worked hard to make a comeback. In 2004, he was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award, for his contributions to sports.

Comeback and Challenges

Ganguly signing autographs outside his residence.

In September 2005, Greg Chappell became India's coach for the tour of Zimbabwe. Ganguly had disagreements with Chappell, which made many headlines. Chappell sent an email to the Board of Control for Cricket in India, saying that Ganguly was not fit to lead India and that his behavior was harming the team. This email was leaked, causing a big reaction from Ganguly's fans. The BCCI had to step in and ask them to work together.

Because of his poor form and disagreements with the coach, Ganguly was removed as captain. Dravid took his place. Ten months later, during India's tour to South Africa, Ganguly was called back to the team. This happened after his replacements, Suresh Raina and Mohammad Kaif, had poor performances.

After India's batting struggled in the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy and the ODI series in South Africa, Ganguly made his comeback to the Test team. He scored 83 runs in a tour match against the rest of South Africa, helping India win. In his first Test innings back, against South Africa in Johannesburg, his score of 51 helped India win their first Test match in South Africa. Although India lost the series, Ganguly scored the most runs for his team. After his successful Test comeback, he was recalled for the ODI team. In his first ODI innings in almost two years, he scored a match-winning 98 runs. He performed well in both series, averaging almost 70, and won the Man of the Series award against Sri Lanka.

Ganguly was chosen for the official team for the 2007 Cricket World Cup. He was India's top scorer in their first-round loss against Bangladesh. After India was knocked out early, there were reports of disagreements between some team members and coach Chappell. Ganguly was said to have ignored instructions to score quickly. Chappell later decided not to continue as coach. On 12 December 2007, Ganguly scored his first double century in his career, hitting 239 runs against Pakistan. He had a 300-run partnership with Yuvraj Singh. Ganguly continued to perform well in both Test and ODI cricket in 2007. He scored 1106 Test runs and 1240 ODI runs that year.

For his great performances in 2007, ESPNcricinfo named him in their World Test XI team.

Retirement and IPL Career

Ganguly with the symbol of the Kolkata Knight Riders, flanked by Shah Rukh Khan on the right and Gauri Khan on the left.

In January 2008, in a Test match against Australia, Ganguly scored half-centuries in both innings, though India lost. In February 2008, Ganguly became the captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) team in the Indian Premier League (IPL). This team is owned by Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan. On 18 April 2008, Ganguly led KKR to a big 140-run victory over the Bangalore Royal Challengers. Ganguly scored 10 runs, while Brendon McCullum scored an unbeaten 158 runs. On 1 May, Ganguly made his second T20 half-century, scoring 51 runs off 39 balls against the Rajasthan Royals.

On 7 July 2008, news reports suggested that Ganguly might become the President of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB). He also did not rule out running for BCCI President in the future. In October of the same year, Ganguly announced that the Test series against Australia would be his last. He said he hoped to finish with a winning performance. Ganguly played in all four Tests of the series, scoring 324 runs. In the second Test in Mohali, he scored his final Test century. In his very last Test match in Nagpur, he scored 85 and 0 runs. In the final Test, with India needing one more wicket to win, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni invited Ganguly to lead the team on the field for the last time. India won the series 2–0.

In May 2009, Ganguly was replaced as KKR captain by McCullum for the 2009 IPL season. This decision was questioned by many, as KKR finished last that season. After that, Bengali TV channel Zee Bangla hired him to host a quiz show called Dadagiri Unlimited. In August, he was appointed chairman of CAB's Cricket Development Committee. He also played for the Bengal team in the Ranji Cup in October 2009, scoring 110 runs.

In the third IPL season, Ganguly was again made KKR captain. He scored 1,031 runs and took eight wickets in 40 matches for KKR. In the fourth IPL season, he was signed by the Pune Warriors India team. In 2012, he was appointed as the Captain and mentor for Pune Warriors India. On 29 October 2012, he announced his retirement from all forms of cricket, saying he would not play in the next IPL season.

Administration Career

Minister of Home Affairs, Amit Shah unveils the statue of Arun Jaitley in presence of him in New Delhi on 28 December 2020.

Ganguly was part of a special committee appointed by the Supreme Court of India. This committee investigated issues related to the IPL. From 2015 to October 2019, he served as the President of the Cricket Association of Bengal. In 2018, his autobiography, A Century is Not Enough, was published. In March 2019, Ganguly became an advisor for the Delhi Capitals IPL team. In October 2019, he became the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He also became the President of the editorial board for Wisden India. The West Bengal government increased Ganguly's security to 'Z' Category, meaning he now has 8 to 10 police personnel guarding him.

In 2024, he joined the board of directors for the Blue Ocean Corporation.

Playing Style and Impact

Ganguly in action on the field.

Ganguly once said that David Gower was the first cricketer who made him love the game. He admired Gower's style and watched his old videos. Other players who influenced him include David Boon, Mohinder Amarnath, Kapil Dev, and Allan Border.

Ganguly was a left-handed batsman. He scored most of his runs on the off-side. He was known for his powerful shots like the square cut and cover drive. Rahul Dravid even called Ganguly "...next to God on the off-side." He could hit strong shots on both the front and back foot. Early in his career, he struggled with short balls (bouncers), especially from Australian and South African bowlers. However, after his comeback in 2007, he improved a lot in handling these.

In ODIs, Ganguly usually opened the innings. He would try to take advantage of fielding rules by stepping out and hitting fast bowlers over the fielders. He was also known for attacking left-arm spin bowlers. He was good at judging the ball's length early and hitting it high over the field. However, he was sometimes slow when running between the wickets. There were times when his batting partner was run out because Ganguly called for a run and then sent them back.

Ganguly was a right-arm medium pace bowler. He could swing and seam the ball, often taking important wickets to break partnerships. He also took 100 catches in ODIs, which is impressive. However, his ground fielding was sometimes criticized for being slow.

Legacy in Cricket

Centuries against different nations

Opposition	Test	ODI
Sri Lanka	3	4
New Zealand	3	3
Zimbabwe	2	3
England	3	1
Pakistan	2	2
Australia	2	1
South Africa	–	3
Bangladesh	1	1
Kenya	NA	3
Namibia	NA	1
Total	16	22

Author Pradeep Mandhani noted that Sourav Ganguly became India's most successful Test captain between 2000 and 2005. He led his team to 21 victories, which was seven more than the previous record holder, Mohammad Azharuddin. He also captained in a record 49 matches.

Ganguly was the seventh Indian cricketer to play 100 Test matches. He is the fourth-highest overall run-scorer for India in Tests. He is also the fourth Indian to play in more than 300 ODIs. In terms of total runs in ODIs, Ganguly is third among Indians, after Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli. He has scored 16 centuries in Test matches and 22 in ODIs. He is one of only ten batsmen to score over 10,000 runs in ODIs.

Along with Sachin Tendulkar, Ganguly formed one of the most successful opening pairs in One Day Cricket. They have the highest number of century partnerships (26) for the first wicket. Together, they scored over 7000 runs. Ganguly was the fourth player to cross 11,000 ODI runs and was one of the fastest to do so. He is also one of only five players in the world to achieve the amazing feat of 10,000 runs, 100 wickets, and 100 catches in ODI cricket. The others are Tendulkar, Kallis, Sanath Jayasuriya, and Tillakaratne Dilshan.

Ganguly with the young cricketers of the Kolkata Knight Riders team during IPL 2009.

Mihir Bose, in his book The magic of Indian cricket, said that Ganguly changed the image of the "meek Indian cricketer." He praised Ganguly for not being afraid to take responsibility. "He showed that he can be a leader of a team, which has greats like Sachin and Dravid in the side, without any problems." Under Ganguly's leadership, India started winning more matches and tournaments.

Within a few years of becoming captain, Ganguly changed how a cricket captain should lead. Unlike some captains before him, Ganguly was seen as fair and always pushed his players to do better. He was honest in his interactions with the media and fans, earning respect. However, he also faced criticism for being hot-tempered and sometimes not listening to others.

Ganguly believed his biggest achievement as captain was building a strong Indian team. He said, "We were able to change the face of Indian cricket. That's what I'm proud of." He felt they made a huge difference, changing the idea that India would struggle when playing outside India. Ganguly always supported young players. He believed every new player should play two years of domestic cricket before joining the international team. He also felt newcomers should be given at least five games to prove themselves. He understood the challenges new players faced because he himself had a difficult start to his international career.

Despite his contributions, his captaincy methods also faced scrutiny. Some critics felt he was too aggressive and that his tactics might not always work.

Overall Career Performance

An innings-by-innings breakdown of Ganguly's Test match batting career, showing runs scored (red bars) and the average of last ten innings (blue line).

Test Match Career Batting Performance		Batting Statistics
Opponent	Matches	Runs	Average	High Score	100s / 50s
Australia	24	1403	35.07	144	2 / 7
Bangladesh	5	371	61.83	100	1 / 3
England	12	983	57.82	136	3 / 5
New Zealand	8	563	46.91	125	3 / 2
Pakistan	12	902	47.47	239	2 / 4
South Africa	17	947	33.82	87	0 / 7
Sri Lanka	14	1064	46.26	173	3 / 4
West Indies	12	449	32.07	75*	0 / 2
Zimbabwe	9	530	44.16	136	2 / 1
Overall Totals	113	7212	42.17	239	16 / 35

ODI Career Batting Performance		Batting Statistics
Opponent	Matches	Runs	Average	High Score	100s / 50s
Australia	35	774	23.45	100	1 / 5
Bangladesh	10	459	57.37	135*	1 / 4
England	26	975	39.00	117*	1 / 7
New Zealand	32	1079	35.96	153*	3 / 6
Pakistan	53	1652	35.14	141	2 / 9
South Africa	29	1313	50.50	141*	3 / 8
Sri Lanka	44	1534	40.36	183	4 / 9
West Indies	27	1142	47.58	98	0 / 11
Zimbabwe	36	1367	42.71	144	3 / 7
ICC World XI	1	22	22.00	22	0 / 0
Africa XI	2	120	60.00	88	0 / 1
Bermuda	1	89	89.00	89	0 / 1
Ireland	1	73	–	73*	0 / 1
Kenya	11	588	73.50	111*	3 / 2
Namibia	1	112	–	112*	1 / 0
Netherlands	1	8	8.00	8	0 / 0
U.A.E.	1	56	56.00	56	0 / 1
Overall Totals	311	11363	41.02	183	22 / 72

Records and Achievements

President A.P.J Abdul Kalam (right) presenting the Padma Shri Award to Ganguly (left), 2004

• He is the only cricketer to win four "man of the match" awards in a row in One Day Internationals.
• He is the ninth highest run-scorer in ODI history and third among Indians, with 11,363 runs.
• He holds the record for the highest individual score by any batsman in an ICC Champions Trophy final (117 runs).
• He was also the first player to score 3 centuries in the history of the ICC Champions Trophy.
• He was the second fastest batsman to reach 9,000 ODI runs. AB De Villiers of South Africa broke his record in 2017.
• He is one of only six cricketers to achieve the unique combination of 10,000 runs, 100 wickets, and 100 catches in ODI cricket. (The others are Sachin Tendulkar, Sanath Jayasuriya, Jacques Kallis, Chris Gayle, and Tillakaratne Dilshan.)
• He has the highest individual score by an Indian batsman (183) in the Cricket World Cup.
• He is one of 14 cricketers in the world to have played 100 or more Tests and 300 or more ODIs.
• Sourav Ganguly is the only batsman to score a century on debut and to be dismissed on the first ball in his final Test innings.

Captaincy Record

See Also

• List of international cricket centuries by Sourav Ganguly
• List of highest individual scores in ODIs
• Dadagiri Unlimited
• List of Cricket Association of Bengal Presidents
• No Dada No KKR
• Cricket All-Stars