3 Major records Sourav Ganguly could not break in his international career

Sourav Ganguly, or the “God of the off-side” as he was called by many, is an icon of Indian cricket and was one of the finest cricketers to don the blue jersey. An elegant left-hand batter, a team player, and a true leader of men, the “Prince of Calcutta” is nothing less than a phenomenon.

Ganguly played for India from 1992 to 2008, appearing in 113 Test matches and 311 ODIs, and scoring 18,575 international runs at an average of 41.83 with 38 centuries and 107 half-centuries. He has also captained India to the 2001 Champions Trophy glory and the final of the 2003 World Cup.

In October 2019, Ganguly became the 39th President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), succeeding C.K Khanna. He also previously served as the President of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) from October 2015 to October 2019. His presence in Indian cricket has been ever-present since he burst onto the scene in the 90s.

Here are the three major records Sourav Ganguly could not break in his international career:

3) 50 plus average in any format

Ganguly was one of the most consistent top-order batters during his time, who would always chip in with significant scores. However, later on, in his career, he sacrificed his natural opening spot in the ODIs to the likes of Virender Sehwag, among others, and was pushed down the order.

This may have affected Ganguly‘s batting average with a changed role, which demanded some quick runs early on in his innings; consequently finishing with an average of 41.02 in the ODIs. He generally batted at number five in Test cricket and ended with an average of 42.17 in Test cricket.

For the kind of batter he was, and for the quality and technique he possessed, not averaging over 50 in any of the formats in international cricket is something he might look back on with regret. He also averages less than 45 overall in both List-A and First-Class cricket.