Former captain Sourav Ganguly received the perfect gift on his 54th birthday on Wednesday, becoming the latest Indian cricketer to be inducted into the ICC's Hall of Fame
NEW DELHI — Former captain Sourav Ganguly received the perfect gift on his 54th birthday on Wednesday, becoming the latest Indian cricketer to be inducted into the ICC's Hall of Fame following a decision taken at the global body's annual conference in Edinburgh.
Ganguly's induction takes the number of Indians in the ICC Hall of Fame to 12.
Expressing his gratitude to the ICC for the honour, Ganguly thanked the international body chairman Jay Shah, describing the recognition as a "huge honour".
The left-handed batter, fondly known as 'Dada', celebrated his birthday amid an outpouring of wishes from across the cricketing world.
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"Thank you ICC and Chairman Jay shah @JayShah for inducting me in the hall of fame .. it's a huge honour ..One of the 10 Indians to be inducted in the hall of fame ever .. Amazing to be a part of some great names ..@bcci," Ganguly, who retired from international cricket in November 2008 after playing his final Test against Australia, wrote on 'X'.
The other Indians in the ICC Hall of Fame are Bishan Singh Bedi, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Vinoo Mankad, Diana Edulji, Virender Sehwag, Neetu David and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Ganguly's greatest contribution to Indian cricket came during his tenure as captain between 2000 and 2005, when he rebuilt the side in the aftermath of the match-fixing crisis.
Under his leadership, India developed into a fearless and competitive outfit, registering memorable Test triumphs overseas and laying the foundation for sustained success in the years that followed.
One of the defining images of his career remains his exuberant celebration at Lord's after India's stunning victory over England in the 2002 NatWest Trophy final.
As the winning runs were scored, Ganguly strode onto the iconic Lord's balcony, removed his shirt and waved it aloft in a spontaneous expression of emotion and triumph.
Ganguly played 113 Tests, amassing 7,212 runs, and featured in 311 One-Day Internationals, where he scored 11,363 runs.
After hanging up his boots, Ganguly transitioned into cricket administration and went on to become the president of the BCCI. He assumed office on October 23, 2019, and served at the helm of Indian cricket until October 18, 2022. He is the current president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB).