Sourav Ganguly, fondly known as Dada, is a cricketing legend who led India’s cricket team with charisma, determination, and a burning passion for the game. His contributions as a player, captain, and administrator have left an indelible mark on Indian cricket history. Sourav Ganguly (48) was born on 8 July 1972 in Calcutta (present-day Kolkata), India to Chandidas and Nirupa Ganguly. His father was among the richest men in the city and ran a flourishing print business. After a prolonged illness, his father died on 21 February 2013 at the age of 73.
Sourav Ganguly Info
| Date Of Birth | 1972-07-08 |
| Birth Place | Behala, Kolkata, India |
| Nickname | Dada, Prince of Kolkata, Bengal Tiger, Maharaja, the Warrior Prince, Lord of the Off Side |
| Monthly Income | 8 Crore + |
| Profession | Indian Cricketer |
| Age | 51 Yrs |
| Height | Indian Cricketer |
| Net Worth | $85 Million |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Gender | male |
| Father’s Name | Chandidas Ganguly |
| Mother’s Name | Nirupa Ganguly |
| Brother | Snehasish Ganguly |
| Wife | Donna Ganguly (1997) |
| Daughter | Sana Ganguly |
| Batting style | Left-handed |
| Bowling style | Right-arm medium |
| School | St. Xavier’s School, Calcutta |
| College | St. Xavier’s College |
Family of Sourav Ganguly
| Father | Chandidas Ganguly |
| Mother | Nirupa Ganguly |
| Wife | Dona Ganguly (married in 1997) |
| Daughter | Sana Ganguly |
Sourav Ganguly’s Education & Childhood
Sourav Ganguly’s school is St. Xavier’s School, Calcutta. He received his commerce degree from St. Xavier’s College. Later, he received an honorary Ph.D. Sourav Ganguly was initially drawn to football because it was the locals’ favourite sport. But his love of sports was put on hold by his studies, and Nirupa wasn’t exactly behind Ganguly’s decision to pursue cricket or any other sport as a career.
Snehasish, his older brother, was already a seasoned cricketer for the Bengal cricket team at that point. He encouraged Ganguly’s desire to play cricket and requested their father to arrange for Ganguly to attend a coaching camp during the summer. At the time, Ganguly was enrolled in the eleventh standard.
Sourav Ganguly Net Worth
As of 2024, Sourav Ganguly has an estimated net worth of $85 Million, which in INR is 700 Crores. Besides, several factors contribute to the astonishing net worth of Sourav Ganguly.
| Net Worth | $85 Million |
| Salary | Rs. 60 Crore + |
| Monthly Income | 8 Crore + |
| Profession | Indian Cricketer |
| Yearly Income | Rs. 70 Crore + |
Sourav Ganguly Career
| International Debut | Test: 20 June 1996 Vs England at Lord’s ODI: 11 January 1992 Vs West Indies at Brisbane |
| International Retirement | Test: 6 November 2008 against Australia at Nagpur ODI: 15 November 2007 Vs Pakistan at Gwalior |
| Coach/Mentor | BD Desai VS “Marshall” Patil Hemu Adhikari |
| Domestic/ State Team | West Bengal, Glamorgan, Lancashire |
| Nature on Field | Aggressive |
| Favourite Shot | Uppercut |
| Records | Only Cricketer to Win Four Consecutive Man of the Match Awards in One Day International Match India’s second and World’s Eight Highest Run Scorer in the History of ODI: 11363 Fastest Batsman to Reach 9000 Runs in One Day International Having 10000 runs, 100 wickets, and 100 catches in ODI Scored 183 runs which is the highest by an Indian Batsman in a World Cup match By winning 11 out of 28 matches, he is the most successful Indian captain overseas |
| Career Turning Point | On the 1996 tour of England, he scored two consecutive centuries in the two innings |
Facts About Sourav Ganguly
- Sourav Ganguly’s brother, Snehashish Ganguly, is also a former cricket player. Nevertheless, it was Sourav who replaced him during the selection of Bengal Ranji team.
- According to media houses, owing to his privileged background, he had a “bad attitude” problem. Not only this, but he once refused to carry drinks in one of the cricket matches.
- During his childhood, he was a football fan. Additionally, he was also the captain of his school football team at St.Xavier Collegiate School, Kolkata and played as an attacking midfielder.
- In 2002, Sauarav Ganguly made headlines after he took off his shirt and twirled it as a response to Andrew Flintoff. Nevertheless, later this gesture was turned into a controversial subject.
- He shares his birthday with American industrialist John D. Rockefeller, politician Jyoti Basu, and footballer Virgil Van Dijk, among other famous personalities.
Sourav Ganguly Favorite Things
| Food | Travel Destination | Hobby |
| Bengali Cuisine | London | Playing the Guitar |
| Fish | Switzerland | Reading |
Sourav Ganguly’s Wife
Dona Ganguly, the wife of Sourav Ganguly, grew up next door to them. Although there was not a healthy relationship between the two families, Ganguly and Dona were still able to become close. It was their friendship that ultimately led to their falling in love.
Before departing during his 1996 England tour, Ganguly reportedly proposed to Dona. On August 12, 1996, the two were legally wed. Dona Ganguly and Sourav Ganguly eloped in 1997. Their families were initially unaware of the marriage. Sourav Ganguly and Dona were remarried a year after their courtship, this time with the right ceremonies and the approval of their families. The couple together have a daughter born in 2001. Sourav Ganguly’s daughter’s name is Sana Ganguly.
Sourav Ganguly’s Controversies
Refusing to Carry Drinks for Teammates
Sourav Ganguly made his one-day debut while travelling to Australia with the Indian team in 1991–1992. Up to his reappearance on the trip to England in 1996, he wouldn’t make another appearance abroad for the next four years. On the tour to Australia, it was said that Ganguly refused to carry drinks—one of the duties of a benched player. Later on, Ganguly refuted these claims.
Lancashire Controversy
In 2000, Sourav Ganguly participated in county cricket for Lancashire. He did not fit within the structure, therefore neither he nor his squad had a very memorable experience. One story states that he allegedly handed his sweater to teammate Michael Atherton and asked him to carry it over the line due to his alleged princely behaviour. There were rumours that he had anticipated having someone else carry his gear bag. Additionally, no one from his team could be seen cheering from the dressing room balcony when he once shot a fifty.
Affair with Nagma
In the early months of 2001, as India prepared to host Australia, there were persistent rumours of Sourav Ganguly’s alleged liaison with actress Nagma. There have been rumours that the two visited a South Indian temple and participated in a pooja intended for married couples. Dona, Ganguly’s wife, supported her husband throughout this. Even Chandidas Ganguly, the father of Ganguly, stated to Times of India that he thought the two’s photos had been altered.
Bans
Sourav Ganguly received three match suspensions for expressing disagreement with an umpire’s ruling. The first time it happened was in 1998 when he complained about being sent off during the Australia test in Bangalore. He received a one-day international suspension (ODI). After that, Ganguly received a second suspension in 2000 while Zimbabwe was visiting India for a effort to intimidate the umpires. The most recent instance occurred in 2001 during a tour of Sri Lanka, when he displayed his bat after being called out leg-before. He received yet another ODI ban. In addition, he was once suspended for a total of six games in 2005 for having a slow over rate. That came at a difficult time for him because he was having trouble scoring runs and his captaincy was under scrutiny.
Shirtless Controversy
Sourav Ganguly removed his shirt and waved it in the air as his side celebrated during a dramatic match in which India chased down 326 to win the NatWest series. According to John Wright’s account in the Indian Summers, Harbhajan Singh had intended to do the same for the entire team when Rahul Dravid intervened. That didn’t deter Ganguly, who impulsively lunged for it. It was retaliation for Andrew Flintoff’s comparable behaviour at Wankhede Stadium earlier that year, following England’s thrilling victory over India.
Shane Warne Controversy
After a match between the Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders in Jaipur in 2008, Shane Warne vented his resentment. Warne complained to the media about how his team had to wait for Sourav Ganguly to enter the field in order to begin the batting and how his batsmen had to wait for the other team for a total of five minutes. He also criticised Ganguly for requesting the umpire to determine whether a Rajasthan fielder had taken a catch cleanly.
Sourav Ganguly BCCI Supreme Court
The Supreme Court made a statement in September 2022, granting the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) request for a 12-year term of administrators before a cooling-off period begins. This decision will extend the terms of the cricketing organization’s president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah.
Sourav Ganguly and Shah will be free to continue working for BCCI till 2025 thanks to the court judgment.
As the BCCI regulations changes, Sourav Ganguly, Jr. Shah can breathe a sigh of relief.
Sourav Ganguly’s Awards
- 1998: Sport Star Person of the Year
- 1998: Arjuna Award
- 2000: CEAT Cricketer of the Year
- 2002: CEAT Indian Captain of the Year
- 2003: Award for Cricketing Excellence
- 2004: Padma Shri
- 2004: Rammohan Roy Award
Sourav Ganguly Records
- Sourav Ganguly became India’s most successful Test captain during his reign, which lasted from 2000 to 2005. He guided them through a record 49 games, which is twice as much as both Mohammad Azharuddin and Sunil Gavaskar.
- Sourav Ganguly led his team to victory on 21 occasions, which is seven times more than Azharuddin, who had the second-most victories.
- Sourav Ganguly’s Test batting average as captain was lower, at 37.66, compared to his non-captaincy average of 45.47.
- Sourav Ganguly was the fourth Indian cricketer to play in more than 300 ODIs, the seventh Indian to participate in 100 Test matches, and the fourth to score the fourth-most runs for India in Tests.
- Sourav Ganguly is ninth overall and third among Indians in terms of total ODI runs after Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar (who has the most ODI runs).
- In Test games, Sourav Ganguly has 16 centuries, while in ODIs, he has 22. In ODIs, he is one of just ten batters to have amassed more than 10,000 runs.
- Sourav Ganguly has compiled the most century partnerships (26) for the first wicket, along with Sachin Tendulkar, to form the most productive opening pair in One Day Cricket. They hold the world record for the most 50-run partnerships in a first wicket, having amassed more than 7000 runs at an average of 48.98. (44 fifties).
- After Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly became the fourth player to surpass 11,000 ODI runs, becoming the fastest player to do so.
- Sourav Ganguly is the first Indian captain to have triumphed in a Test series against Pakistan as of 2006.
- Along with Tendulkar, Kallis, Sanath Jayasuriya, and Tillakaratne Dilshan, Sourav Ganguly is one of only five players in ODI cricket history to record the incredible treble of 10,000 runs, 100 wickets, and 100 catches.
- Sourav Ganguly is the only cricketer to have received four One Day International Man of the Match honours in a row.
- Sourav Ganguly is third among Indians and the ninth-highest run scorer in ODI history with 11,363 runs.
- Sourav Ganguly currently holds the record for scoring the most runs of any batter in an ICC Champions Trophy final (117)
- Sourav Ganguly was also the first player in the history of the ICC Champions Trophy to record three centuries.
- Sourav Ganguly is the Indian batsman with the highest individual score (183) in the Cricket World Cup.
- Sourav Ganguly is one of the 14 cricketers in the world with at least 300 ODIs and 100 Test matches under their belt.
- The only other batsman to record a century on his debut and be out on the first pitch of his final Test innings is Sourav Ganguly.
8 Interesting Facts about Sourav Ganguly
- Parents and teammates of Sourav Ganguly used to refer to him as Maharaja and Dada, respectively. Due to his outstanding batting, Sir Geoffrey Boycott later given him the moniker The Prince of Calcutta.
- Sourav Ganguly replaced his older brother Snehasish Ganguly, who had been cut from the team, when he made his first-class debut for Bengal in 1989.
- For India, the Prince of Calcutta was fortunate. In test cricket, India never lost a game when Sourav Ganguly hit a hundred.
- At MS Dhoni’s request, Sourav Ganguly led the Indian squad for five minutes against Australia in his final international game.
- Sourav Ganguly has played for three County teams Lancashire (2000), Glamorgan (2005), and Northamptonshire (2006).
- In addition to playing traditional cricket, Sourav Ganguly owned a restaurant called The Food Pavilion.
- Because of his passion for the game, Sourav co-owns the ISL team Atletico De Kolkata
- In honour of his outstanding career as a cricket player, the West Bengal government named a road in Rajarhat Gopalpur (Sourav Ganguly Avenue) in his honour.
Playing Style of Sourav Ganguly
| Batting Style | Left-handed |
| Bowling Style | Right-arm medium |
| Known For | Aggressive captain and elegant left-handed batting |
International Debut of Sourav Ganguly
| Test Debut Opponent | England |
| ODI Debut Opponent | West Indies |
Career Achievements of Sourav Ganguly
- Most Test Wins as Indian Captain
- Leading Run-scorer in ICC KnockOut Trophy 2000
- Captain of the Indian team that reached the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup final
Retirement of Sourav Ganguly
| Retirement Date | October 10, 2008 |
| Farewell Match | His final international match was a Test against Australia in Nagpur |
Health Scare of Sourav Ganguly
| Heart Attack | Suffered a heart attack in January 2021 |
| Successful Angioplasty | Underwent a successful angioplasty to treat his heart condition |
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