Sourav Ganguly might have seen his fortunes fluctuate in Test cricket, but in ODIs, he was the absolute boss. Over 300 one-day internationals for India, the southpaw from Bengal scored over 11,000 runs at an average that always remained higher than 40.
Beyond the statistics, history will remember Ganguly as one of India’s greatest match-winners in ODI cricket and his partnership at the top of with Sachin Tendulkar will never be forgotten.
On the former India captain’s 44th birthday, we take a look at five of finest efforts in one-day internationals.
183 VS SRI LANKA AT TAUNTON, 1999
The original T20 style innings, played nearly a decade before the advent of the format in India. On a good batting deck, Ganguly gets set first and then launches a frontal attack against Sri Lankan bowlers. Puts up a record stand with partner Rahul Dravid.
141 VS PAKISTAN AT ADELAIDE, 2000
Plays a scintillating knock in what was turning out to be a horrid tour for the Indians. The almost run-a-ball 141 came against a bowling attack comprising of Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar and Saqlain Mushtaq.
100 VS AUSTRALIA AT MELBOURNE, 2000
In 20 years, no Indian had scored an ODI hundred in Australia, and Ganguly decided to break the jinx, bringing up a 127-ball century against the reigning world champions. He led India’s chase of 270 and added valuable runs with Dravid before getting run-out in a peculiar fashion.
98 VS WEST INDIES AT NAGPUR, 2007
Following a successful comeback into the Indian Test side, Ganguly said that he badly wanted to play in the 2007 World Cup. He received a call-up to the one-day side after a gap of nearly a year-and-a-half and faced the West Indies at Nagpur – playing the most definitive innings of his life.
153* VS NEW ZEALAND AT GWALIOR, 1999
On a difficult track, puts on valuable runs with the lower order after rest of the top order struggles. It’s an innings filled with 18 fours and three sixes, and Ganguly is responsible for nearly 60-percent of his team’s total.
SPECIAL MENTION:
60 vs England at Lord’s, 2002 – Sets the platform for India’s greatest ODI win of all times; quality and impact of his knock goes unnoticed because of Yuvraj Singh & Mohammad Kaif’s heroics, coupled with his shirt waving act.