June 22, 1996, is a day in the history of Indian cricket that shall never be forgotten. After four years in the wilderness, a man made the hallowed grounds his own.
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Sourav Ganguly was making his Test debut, his only ODI being back in 1992. Coming in at the fall of the first wicket, the left-hander slowly began to accumulate the runs. It was no easy task, mind you, after England had piled on 344, the conditions were not exactly batsman-friendly.
With another debutant Rahul Dravid for company, Ganguly went about rebuilding the innings. Once his fifty came up, the crowd knew they were about to witness something special.
And then the moment happened! A gorgeous drive sent the ball to the fence and Ganguly joined an elite list of cricketers to hit a century on their Test debut. Dada had conquered Lord’s and announced his arrival on the big stage.
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He eventually fell for 131 off 301 balls. His innings was studded with 20 fours and helped India amass 429, a lead of 85 runs.
To prove his innings was no fluke, he slammed 136 in his second Test. The rest, as they say, is history. Till his retirement in 2008, Ganguly would play over 300 ODIs and 100 Tests for the country. He was also one of their most fierce skippers in the five years in charge.
But for all Dada fans, it all began on that day, when the Mecca of cricket bowed down to one man, a southpaw from Kolkata.
Over the years Dada would go on to firmly establish himself as one of India’s best batters. By the time he called it quits in 2008, he would leave behind a legacy of being a great batter. Also, he excelled as a skipper. With an average of over 40 in both Tests and ODIs and having played over 400 international games, it is a tribute to his longevity in the game.
Sourav’s last innings ended with a duck but in no way did it tarnish his legacy. The man loved to pepper the off-side and against the spinners stepped out fearlessly to send the ball into orbit.
Dada proved at Lord’s he was here to stay. And stay he did. While he never won a World Cup, he did jointly win a Champions Trophy. As a skipper, the impact he had on Team India was immense. When it comes to being a champion, he is second to none.