New Delhi, July 9:
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame on his 54th birthday, earning one of cricket’s highest honours and becoming the 12th Indian overall and 10th Indian men’s cricketer to receive the recognition.
Ganguly joins an elite list of Indian greats that includes Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble, Virender Sehwag, Bishan Singh Bedi, Vinoo Mankad, MS Dhoni, along with women’s cricket legends Diana Edulji and Neetu David.
The formal induction ceremony is scheduled to take place on July 11, following the conclusion of the International Cricket Council’s annual conference.
Reacting to the honour, Ganguly thanked the ICC and its chairman Jay Shah, calling it a “huge honour” to be part of an illustrious group of cricketing legends.
Widely regarded as one of India’s most influential captains, Ganguly played a pivotal role in transforming the team’s approach in the early 2000s, building a confident and aggressive side that competed strongly both at home and overseas.
Over an illustrious international career, the left-handed batter scored 18,575 runs across formats, including 38 centuries. In Test cricket, he amassed 7,212 runs in 113 matches at an average of 42.17, while in ODIs he scored 11,363 runs in 311 matches at an average of 41.02, with 22 hundreds.
As captain, he led India to the final of the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup and was instrumental in the memorable 2002 NatWest Trophy triumph against England, celebrated for his iconic shirt-waving gesture at Lord’s.
Ganguly is also credited with nurturing a generation of future stars, including MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Virender Sehwag, laying the foundation for India’s rise as a dominant force in world cricket.