Sourav Ganguly made his international debut for India in 1992, in an ODI game against the West Indies in Brisbane at the age of 19. Facing off against the likes of Malcolm Marshall, Courtney Ambrose, and Andrew Cummins, Ganguly could not make an impact. After facing 13 balls, he was dismissed by Cummins for 3, as India were bundled out for 191. It was an easy win for the West Indies.
But the doors for entry into the Indian cricket team opened once again for Ganguly four years later, in 1996, when he was picked in the squad to face off against England in the Tests. He was left out of the team in the first Test in Brisbane. But in the 2nd Test at Lord’s, the left-hander made his debut in place of Navjot Singh Sidhu, and, immediately announced his arrival.
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With opener Vikram Rathour getting out cheaply, Ganguly came out to bat at no. 3. As wickets continued to tumble on the other end, Ganguly kept one end safe. He went on to smash his maiden Test hundred on debut.
Ganguly was, overall, the 10th player to register a ton on Test debut at Lord’s and the first Indian player to do so. With Rahul Dravid’s 95, who was also making his debut in the same game, India posted a total of 429 in the first innings, in reply to England’s 344, taking a lead of 85 runs. The match ended in a draw, as England posted 278/9d in the 2nd innings.
{{/usCountry}}Ganguly was, overall, the 10th player to register a ton on Test debut at Lord’s and the first Indian player to do so. With Rahul Dravid’s 95, who was also making his debut in the same game, India posted a total of 429 in the first innings, in reply to England’s 344, taking a lead of 85 runs. The match ended in a draw, as England posted 278/9d in the 2nd innings.
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Ganguly’s splendid form continued as he went on to smash another hundred in the next Test match in Nottingham. The left-hander registered a score of 136 in the 3rd Test. But it was not enough to win the series for India, and England won the series 1-0.
Ganguly went on to have a memorable career, leading India to the final of 2003 ODI World Cup. To this day, he is still regarded as one of the best captains of Indian cricket team. In his career, he scored 7,212 Test runs and 11,363 ODI runs.