Sourav Ganguly’s top 3 bowling performances across formats 

Sourav Ganguly, who is regarded as one of the all-time legendary captains in cricket history, played a key role in taking India to greater heights. ‘The Prince of Kolkata’, who played for India from 1992-2008, had the task of rebuilding a team at a time when Team India was in obscurity. One of the finest left-handed batters, Ganguly has accumulated over 18000 runs in international cricket, including 38 centuries.

However, apart from these, the former Indian Cricket Board chief was also a handy part-time bowler who contributed a lot to the team with his right-arm medium paceIn this article, we will look at Sourav Ganguly’s top three bowling performances across formats.

3. 4/21 vs Sri Lanka in 1999 (ODI)

In the second ODI in Nagpur, India won by 80 runs and it was Sourav Ganguly who guided with his exceptional all-round heroics. Batting first, the Men in Blue scored 287/4 on the back of Ganguly’s 130 and Rahul Dravid’s 116. In reply, the visitors were bowled out for 207 runs. Ganguly took four wickets for just 21 runs in four overs and won the Player of the Match award.

2. 5/34 vs Zimbabwe in 2000 (ODI)

Ganguly’s second bowling performance surpassed Manoj Prabhakar’s 1987 record for India’s best bowling performance (4/19) against Zimbabwe in ODIs. Opting to bat first, Zimbabwe managed to score just 165/10 in 45.4 overs. Ganguly and Ajit Agarkar were the destroyers as the duo accounted for nine wickets. Ganguly brought out his all-round brilliance with a half-century as India overcame the target with nine wickets to spare.

1. 5/16 vs Pakistan in 1997 (ODI)

Pakistan won the toss and opted to field during the third ODI of the five-match series in 1997 in Canada. This time Ganguly failed with the bat as he was dismissed for just two runs. In fact, apart from Mohammad Azharuddin, none of the Indian batters played responsibly and the Men in Blue were restricted to 182/6 in 50 overs. However, it was Ganguly’s bowling prowess that changed the game as his 10-over medium pace claimed five wickets to help India win by 34 runs.