OTD in 1997 | Sourav Ganguly stunned Pakistan with 5/16 in 10 overs in the 3rd ODI in Toronto 

Sourav Ganguly holds a significant place in Indian cricket history. He was the one who injected the spirit of winning games irrespective of home or away matches, later carried forward by MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and now Rohit Sharma. Considered one of the most successful Indian captains, Ganguly was a prolific batsman and a handy medium-pace bowler. 

The Kolkata star has represented India in 113 Tests and 311 ODIs, taking 32 and 100 wickets respectively. Ganguly’s most memorable outing with the ball was in the 1997 ODI series against arch-rivals Pakistan. He recorded his best bowling figures and helped India in a resounding victory.

Ramiz Raja-led Pakistan opted to field first in the third ODI of Pakistan’s tour of Canada. Ganguly and Saba Karim opened the innings for India and both returned to the pavilion without making vital contributions. Ganguly was dismissed for just two runs by Azhar Mahmood after taking 20 balls to settle down. 

With Sachin Tendulkar also dismissed for a duck, India seemed to be getting out for a paltry total. However, Mohammad Azharuddin’s 67 off 110 and handy contributions from Ajay Jadeja and Robin Singh took the team score to a decent 182/6 in 50 overs.

Ganguly shatters Pakistan’s middle order

In reply, Saeed Anwar and Shahid Afridi gave a solid start for Pakistan with a 52-run partnership. However, Abey Kuruvilla, Debasis Mohanty and Harvinder Singh got rid of the Pakistan top order. The stage was set, which Ganguly then capitalized on with his right-arm medium-pace bowling. He took five wickets conceding only 16 runs.

He single-handedly destroyed Pakistan’s middle-order and they eventually bowled out for 148 runs in 36.5 overs. India won by 34 runs and Ganguly was adjudged Player of the Match despite failing to make an impact with the bat. 

Notably, India won the five-match series 4-1 and Ganguly was adjudged Player of the Series after winning Player of the Match in four of the five games. His incredible performance earned him the moniker of ‘Prince of  Calcutta’ from former England cricketer Geoffery Boycott.

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