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Sourav Ganguly's ability to polarise opinion led to one of the most fascinating dramas in Indian cricket.

Despite being a batsman who
combined grace with accuracy in his play, his career came standstill in 1996, before being resurrected by a scintillating hundred on debut
at Lord's.

Later that year, he was promoted to the top of the order in ODIs and, along with Sachin Tendulkar, formed one of the most destructive opening pairs in history.

The beginning of his end came in 2004 at Nagpur - when his last-minute withdrawal played a part in Australia clinching the series - and things went haywire when his loss of personal form coincided with
India's insipid ODI performances.

A breaking point was reached when his differences with Greg Chappell became public, and his career was in jeopardy when India began their remarkable revival under Rahul Dravid. His gritty 30s at Karachi, when India succumbed to a humiliating defeat in early 2006, weren't enough for him to retain his spot and some felt he would never get another chance.
Others, as always, thought otherwise and they were proved right when he was included in the Test squad for the away series in South Africa in 2006-2007.