Sourav Ganguly Recalls What Led Him To Score His Test Debut Century

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly has always been fearless in taking decisions for the best of the Indian cricket. He was the one to take the team forward when India was surrounded by allegations of match-fixing. As a captain, Ganguly built a team that left the mark in the cricket world.

However, his journey was not so smooth. In 1992, he made the debut in the Indian team, played his first ODI match against West Indies in Australia tour, but didn’t have a remarkable innings. He was then dropped from the Indian national cricket team. After four years, he earned the call-up in the ODI and Test teams. After playing one ODI in that England tour, he played the first Test match against England in Lords in 1996. This Test match was his actual comeback as he went on to score a century in the debut Test match.

Fearless Sourav Ganguly’s first Test century

Sourav Ganguly struck 131 runs, leading that Test match to draw, went on to score another century in his second Test, which was the third Test match of the series. However, India lost the series by 1-0 as the Men in Blue lost the first Test of that series.

In a recent interview with India Today, Ganguly shared how he felt when he was near to score the hundred in the Lord Test match. BCCI President opined that he fearlessly played in that match.

“Lord’s in 1996, the mindset was unbelievable. I had no fear, I just went and played. I remember going to Bristol for the first warm-up game and I got a duck in the first innings. Second innings I got a 70-odd not out. As I went into the series I got better and better,” Ganguly was quoted as saying at the India Today Inspiration event.

Fearless Ganguly, who has got the new position in the Indian cricket, said that he never listened to what others had an opinion about him. He just wanted to score runs for the team.

“Good form, bad form… People said I was not good enough, (couldn’t play) fast bowling, age. The only thing which kept me going was, you give me a bat in hand and I’ll score runs, doesn’t matter what you think,” Ganguly said.