Did you know about this record of Sourav Ganguly?

Sourav Ganguly who is also known as the ‘Maharaja of Indian Cricket’ has a record which might never be broken. In 1997, Sourav Ganguly once won 4 consecutive Man of the Matches awards in ODIs. Muttiah Muralitharan, the legendary Sri Lankan spinner has also won 4 consecutive Man of the Matches awards in Test matches. His record of winning the most Man of the Matches in ODI looks unbreakable at the moment.

It was during the Sahara ‘Friendship Cup’ in 1997 in Toronto that the southpaw batter from Kolkata achieved the feat. But what will surprise you the most is how did the former Indian captain won 4 consecutive Man of the Match awards. 

Sourav Ganguly most consecutive Man of the Match awards 

The feat came in a series against arch-rivals, Pakistan in the 5-match ODI cup. India won the first game comfortably but it was Ajay Jadeja who played a match-winning knock of 49 runs in just 54 balls. Jadeja won the Man of the Match award in the first game. In the next four games, it was a great performance by Sourav Ganguly which saw him winning 4 consecutive Man of the Match awards.

2nd Match

Pakistan batted first after winning the toss and never got going as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Pakistan was dismissed for just 116 runs. Debasis Mohanty shared the new ball with Abey Kuruvilla and the pair took 5 wickets. It was Ganguly’s bowling which won him the Man of the Match award as he took 2 wickets in 9 overs while conceding only 16 runs. His economy for the game was just 1.77 RPO. In the second innings, he also scored 32 runs in 86 balls which helped India in chasing the target in just 34.4 overs.

3rd Match

In the third match, Pakistan won the toss again and decided to bowl first. Azhar Mahmood from Pakistan dismissed Ganguly, who had scored just 2 runs in 20 balls. Ganguly still had a big role to play in the game as in the second innings he had one of the greatest bowling performances in Indian cricket. Defending just 182 runs, India allowed a 50-run opening stand from the Pakistan team. After taking the first wicket at 52, India had Pakistan at 87 with 3 wickets down. Ganguly entered the fray and took 4 wickets in no time. Pakistan were 103 for 3 at one point and a few overs from Ganguly meant that they were 118 for 7. Ganguly took 5 wickets in his 10 overs while giving just 16 runs as he won his second Man of the Match in a row.

4th Match

In a match that was interrupted by rain, India won the toss and elected to field first. Pakistan scored 159 runs in 28 overs as Ganguly took 2 wickets in 6 overs. The second innings was the first time in the series that Ganguly performed with the bat. Opening the batting the left-handed batter remained not out as he scored 75 runs in 75 balls to chase 160 runs in 25.3 overs.

5th Match

Pakistan won the toss in the last game of the series and elected to field first. Batting first, Ganguly scored 96 runs in 136 balls. In the second innings with the ball in hand, he even broke the century opening stand as he dismissed Shahid Afridi. Ganguly picked up two wickets in 9 overs while conceding 33 runs. Unfortunately for India, Ganguly’s heroics were not enough as Pakistan won the match. Despite being on the losing side, Ganguly won the Man of the Match.

India won the series 4-1 but the series will always be remembered for Sourav Ganguly’s performance. India vs Pakistan clashes anyways hold a lot of significance in the career of players from both teams, but to perform like Sourav Ganguly did is commendable. His record of winning 4 Man of the Match awards in a row might never be broken. The former Indian captain scored 222 runs in the series and picked up 15 wickets to win the Man of the Series award.

Also Read: Does India need to stay away from all format players?

 “Get more sports news, cricket news, and football updates, log on to sportsdigest.in. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter and Subscribe to our YouTube Channel.”