Rahul Dravid

Rahul Sharad Dravid (Kannada:ರಾಹುಲ್ ಶರದ್ ದ್ರಾವಿಡ,Marathi:राहुल शरद द्रविड ) pronunciation (help·info) (born 11 January 1973) is an Indian cricketer, and a former captain of the Indian national cricket team, of which he has been a regular member since 1996. Dravid is the third Indian batsman, after Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar, to have scored 10,000 runs in test cricket. [1] On 14 February 2007, he became the sixth player in history and the third Indian, after Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, to score 10,000 runs in ODI cricket.[2] In September 2007, he resigned as captain of India team.[3] He is the captain as well as the Icon Player in the Royal Challengers Bangalore team in the Indian Premier League.

Personal information
Full name Rahul Sharad Dravid
Nickname The Wall, Jammy
Born 11 January 1973 (age 35)
 Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India
Batting style Right-handed
Bowling style Right arm off spin
Role Batsman, occasional Wicketkeeper
International information
National side India
Test debut (cap 206) 20 June 1996: v England
Last Test 6 November 2008: v Australia
ODI debut (cap 95) 3 April 1996: v Sri Lanka
Last ODI 14 October 2007:v Australia
ODI shirt no. 19
Domestic team information
Years Team
1990 – present Karnataka
2003 Scotland
2000 Kent
2008- Royal Challengers Bangalore
Career statistics
 Tests ODI FC LA
Matches 129 333 251 436
Runs scored 10,366 10,585 19,814 14,861
Batting average 52.61 39.49 55.50 42.58
100s/50s 25/53 12/81 52/103 21/109
Top score 270 153 270 153

Balls bowled 120 186 617 477
Wickets 1 4 5 4
Bowling average 39.00 42.50 54.60 105.25
5 wickets in innings 0 0 0 0
10 wickets in match 0 n/a 0 n/a
Best bowling 1/18 2/43 2/16 2/43
Catches/stumpings 179/0 193/14 302/1 227/17
Personal life

Dravid was born in Indore, Madhya Pradesh[4] into a Maharashtrian Deshastha family [5] living in Karnataka. His paternal ancestors were Iyers from Thanjavur[6].He grew up in Bangalore, Karnataka. [7] He speaks Marathi and Kannada.[8]He has a younger brother, Vijay. Both the brothers grew up in a serious and simple middle class atmosphere. Dravid's father worked for Kissan Products Ltd, a company known for jams and preserves and thus he earned the nickname Jammy from his teammates at St. Joseph's, Bangalore. And his mother, Pushpa, was a professor of Architecture at Bangalore University.[9]Rahul Dravid has a degree in commerce from St Joseph's College of Commerce Bangalore, Karnataka.

On 4 May 2003, Rahul married Dr. Vijeta Pendharkar, a surgeon from Nagpur[10] and on 11 October 2005, their son, Samit, was born[11].

[edit]
Early years

Dravid started playing cricket at the age of 12, and represented the state at the under-15, under-17 and under-19 level.[12] Rahul's talents were first spotted by former cricketer Keki Tarapore who was coaching at a summer coaching camp at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.[13]. He went on to score a century on debut for his school team[7] . Along with the batting, he was keeping wickets. However, he later stopped keeping wickets on advice from former Test players Gundappa Vishwanath, Roger Binny, Brijesh Patel and Tarapore.

He was selected to make his Ranji Trophy debut in February 1991 against Maharashtra in Pune (while still attending college at St. Joseph's College of Commerce in Bangalore), alongside future Indian teammates Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath, scoring 82 in a drawn match after batting in the No. 7 position[14]. His first full season was in 1991-92, when he scored two centuries to finish with 380 runs at an average of 63.3 [15], and was selected for South Zone in the Duleep Trophy [16].

[edit]
International career
 
Dravid in action during a Test match

Dravid had a disappointing start to his career making his debut in one-dayers against Sri Lankan cricket team in the Singer Cup in Singapore immediately after World Cup in March 1996, replacing Vinod Kambli. Subsequently, he was dropped from the team, until he was picked again for the tour of England.

He then made his debut in the Second Test against England along with Sourav Ganguly,when Sanjay Manjrekar got injured after the first Test match on that tour.

Rahul scored 95 [17] and held his position on Manjrekar's return for the Third Test, scoring 84 [18]. After moderate performance in home series against Australia and South Africa, Dravid broke through on the 1996-97 tour of South Africa. He batted at No. 3 in the third Test in Johannesburg, scoring his maiden century with 148 and 81, the top score in each innings to claim his first man of the match award [19]. He made his first half-century against Pakistan in the Sahara Cup in 1996, scoring 90 in his 10th ODI [20].

In the 18 months ending in mid-1998, he played in an away series against the West Indies, home and away series against Sri Lanka and a home series against Australia, he scored consistently, with 964 runs at an average of 56.7. He scored eleven half-centuries but was unable to convert them to triple figures[citation needed]. He scored his second century in late 1998 against Zimbabwe in a one-off Test match, top-scoring in both innings with 148 and 44, but was unable to prevent an Indian defeat[citation needed]. He became the third Indian batsman after Vijay Hazare and Sunil Gavaskar to score centuries in both innings of a match during the 1999 New Year's Test match against New Zealand with 190 and 103* to force a draw [21][22]. He had a moderate season in the subcontinent in early 1999, scoring 269 runs at an average of 38.42 with one century before scoring 239 at an average of 39.8 including a century against New Zealand in late 1999[citation needed]. This was followed by a poor away series against Australia and another poor home series against South Africa, accumulating just 187 runs at an average of 18.7. He then scored 200*, his first double century, against Zimbabwe in Delhi, which along with 70* in the second innings helped India to victory. It was the first time he had passed 50 in 12 months and he followed this with a 162 in the following Test, giving him 432 runs in the two match series at an average of 432[citation needed].

In the second test of a three match test series against Australia at Kolkata in 2001, Dravid joined hands with VVS Laxman to produce one of the greatest comeback victories in the history of the game. Following on, the pair put on 376 runs for the fifth wicket in the second innings of the match. Dravid scored 180 while Laxman made 281. [23] Though Dravid ended up second-best, it remains one of his greatest performances till date. Later that year in Port Elizabeth against South Africa, he made a crucial match-saving 87 runs in the second innings to deny South Africa the win. [24]

2002 was the year, when Dravid started to emerge out of Tendulkar's shadow and established himself as India's premier Test batsman. In the month of April, at Georgetown, West Indies in first test match of the series, he scored an unbeaten 144 [25] in the first innings after being hit by a Mervyn Dillon delivery. Later that year, he raked up four consecutive centuries against England(3) and West Indies(1). In August 2002, against England at Headingley Stadium, Leeds in the third test match of the series, he scored a 148 in the first innings on a seamer-friendly to set up a famous Indian win. [26] He won the man of the match award for this performance. Dravid's astonishing aggregate of 602 runs in the four match test series against England also fetched him the man of the series award. In 2003-2004 season, Dravid scored three double centuries, one each against New Zealand, Australia and Pakistan. Against Australia at Adelaide in second match of the four match series, the batting pair of Dravid and VVS Laxman proved to be Australia's nemesis again. In the first innings, India were looking down the barrel at 4 wickets down for 85 runs in reply to Australia's massive 556 when the duo joined hands. By the time their partnership was broken, the pair had put on 303 runs. Laxman was dismissed for 148 while Dravid went on make 233. At that time, this was the highest individual score by an Indian batsman overseas. By the time Dravid was done, India was only 33 short of Australia's first innings score. Dravid followed this with an unbeaten 72 under immense pressure in the second innings to set up a famous victory. [27] Dravid scored 619 runs in that four-match series against Australia at an average of 103.16 and won the man of the series award. During the later part of the season, Dravid, in Ganguly's absence, led India to its first test victory over Pakistan in Pakistan in the first test match at Multan. In the third and the final match of the series At Rawalpindi, Dravid stroked a masterly 270 to take India to a historic test series win over Pakistan. [28]

[edit]
Dravid in World Cup

Dravid was top run scorer in the 7th World Cup(1999), scoring 461 runs. He was vice captain during 2003 World cup where India reached the final, serving his team in the dual capacity of batsman and wicket keeper to accommodate additional batsman, a move that paid huge dividends for India. Dravid was the captain during 2007 cricket world cup in West Indies, where Indian cricket team had a dismal campaign. Dravid had scores of 14 in Bangladesh match, 7* in Bermuda match and 60 in Sri Lanka match.

[edit]
Style

With a strong technique, he has been the backbone for the Indian cricket team. Beginning with the reputation of being a defensive batsman who should be confined to Test cricket, he was dropped from ODIs as he was slow in making runs. However, in a period of his career he began consistently scoring runs in ODIs as well, earning him the award of ICC player of the year. His nickname of 'The Wall' in Reebok advertisements has now become a tribute to his consistency. Dravid has scored 25 centuries in Test cricket at an average of 55.11, including 5 double centuries. In one-dayers though he has an average of 39.49, and a strike rate of 71.22. He is one of the few Indians who average more at away matches than at home, averaging over 10 more runs a match abroad than on Indian pitches. As of 9 August, 2006, Dravid's average in overseas Tests stood at 65.28 as against his overall Test average of 55.41, and his average for away ODI stands at 42.03 as against overall ODI average of 39.49. In matches that India has won, Dravid averages 78.72 in Tests and 53.40 in ODIs.

Dravid's sole Test wicket was that of Ridley Jacobs in the fourth Test against the West Indies during the 2001-2002 series. While he has no pretensions to being a bowler, Dravid often kept wicket for India in ODIs. He has since delegated the wicket-keeping gloves, first to Parthiv Patel and more recently to Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Dravid is now purely a batsman, one who has averaged 63.51 in matches played since 1 January, 2000.

Dravid was involved in two of the largest partnerships in ODIs: a 318-run partnership with Sourav Ganguly, the first pair to combine for a 300-run partnership, and then a 331-run partnership with Sachin Tendulkar, which is the present world record. He also holds the record for the greatest number of innings since debut before being dismissed for a duck. His highest scores in ODIs and Tests are 153 and 270 respectively. Uniquely, each of his five double centuries in Tests was a higher score than his previous double century (200*, 217, 222, 233, 270).

Also, Dravid is the current world record holder for the highest percentage(%) contribution of runs scored in matches won under a single captain, where the captain has won more than 20 Tests. [29] In the 21 Test matches India won under Sourav Ganguly's leadership, Dravid played his part in every single one of those wins, scoring at a record average of 102.84 and piling up an astonishing 2571 runs, with nine hundreds - three of them double-centuries - and ten fifties in 32 innings. He contributed nearly 23% of the total runs scored by India those 21 matches, which is almost one run out of every four runs the team scored.
 
An innings-by-innings breakdown of Dravid's Test match batting career, showing runs scored (red bars) and the average of the last ten innings (blue line).

He was named one of the Wisden cricketers of the year 2000.

In 2004, Dravid was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India. On 7 September, 2004, he was awarded the inaugural Player of the year award and the Test player of the year by the International Cricket Council, ICC (associated image below). Dravid's batting average of 95.46 in the past year has made him the only Indian to be in the Test team of the year. On 18th March, 2006, Dravid played his 100th Test against England in Mumbai.

In 2005, a biography of Rahul Dravid written by Devendra Prabhudesai was published, 'The Nice Guy Who Finished First'.

In the 2005 ICC Awards he was the only Indian to be named to the World one-day XI.

In 2006, it was announced that he would remain captain of the Indian team up to the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies.

After the England Series however, he stepped down as captain of India due to personal reasons. Mahendra Singh Dhoni took over as ODI captain. Anil Kumble replaced him in test matches.

In 2007, he was dropped from the Indian ODI Squad following poor series against Australia. Dravid went back to play for Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy, scoring 218 against Mumbai.

In 2008, he made 93 in the first innings of the Perth test, the highest score of the match, to help India win and make the series 1-2. However, he was ignored by selectors for the subsequent one-day tri-series.

After reaching 10,000 test runs milestone, he was quoted saying, "It's a proud moment for sure. For me, growing up, I dreamt of playing for India. When I look back, I probably exceeded my expectations with what I have done over the last 10 to 12 years. I never had an ambition to do it because I never believed - it is just a reflection of my longevity in the game."[30]

[edit]
Personal Records

[edit]
Tests
Dravid is the 3rd Indian (6th in World) to score more than 10,000 test Runs
Has been involved in the most century partnerships in Test history - 72 (28th March 2008).
Has the best away Test batting average among those who have scored over 10,000 Test runs.
Scored nearly 23% of the total runs put up by India (with a batting average of 102.84) in the 21 Test matches won under Ganguly's captaincy. This is the highest percentage contribution by any batsman in Test cricket history in matches won under a single captain where the captain has won more than 20 Tests.[29]
2nd longest streak of consecutive Tests since debut (93 + 1 in ICC XI) missed 95th test at Ahmedabad due to fever, behind Adam Gilchrist (96).
Only player to score a century against every Test playing nation away from home.[31]
Involved in highest partnership made away from home for any wicket for India with vice captain Virender Sehwag of 410 runs vs Pakistan at Lahore in 2006 (also, the highest partnership between a captain and the vice captain).
He is the 4th fastest (in terms of innings) to reach 10000 runs in Test cricket after Brian Lara,Sachin Tendulkar and Ponting.
Dravid is one among the only three batsmen to hit Test centuries in four consecutive innings. The other two are Jack Fingleton and Alan Melville. Dravid achieved this by hitting scores of 115, 148, 217 and 100* in three successive matches against England and one against the West Indies. Only Everton Weekes, with centuries in five consecutive innings, has achieved a longer sequence of consecutive Test hundreds.[32]
With scores of 50 or more in 7 consecutive Tests Dravid is behind only to Tendulkar(8) among the Indian batsmen. IVA Richards holds the record for most with 11.
He is currently 2nd among batsmen who have scored most away runs in Tests (5968 as of April 2008). Only Sachin Tendulker(6726) has scored more away Test runs.
He has played 150 innings off 94 tests at number 3. He has scored 7677 runs at the position. Both of these two feats are world records.
2nd Indian batsman to score twin hundreds in a Test thrice, after Sunil Gavaskar. Gavaskar, Dravid and Ponting are the only batsmen to score twin hundreds in a Test thrice.
One of only two Indians to score 5 double hundreds.(each bigger than the previous 200* vs Zimbabwe, 217 vs England, 222 vs New Zealand, 233 vs Australia, 270 vs Pakistan).
He has taken the highest number of catches (179) by an Indian fielder (non-wicketkeeper) in test cricket and 2nd behind Mark Waugh (181) in the world.
Has the best away batting average in tests among the current batsmen (with at least 5000 away runs). [33]
Partnering with Tendulkar, has scored more runs than any other pair, excluding opening pairs. They are the 3rd best in terms of total number of partnership runs scored by a pair in test cricket. [34]

[edit]
One Dayers

Partnership Records
The only batsman to have been involved in two ODI partnerships exceeding 300 runs.
First batsman to be involved in a 300 run partnership in a Cricket World Cup along with Sourav Ganguly in the 1999 World Cup match against Sri Lanka at Taunton.
Involved in all three highest 4th wicket partnerships against South Africa, two with Yuvraj Singh.
Involved in the highest partnership in the history of ODI cricket with a 331 run partnership along with Sachin Tendulkar vs New Zealand at Hyderabad in 1999-2000.

World Cup Records
He was the leading run scorer in the 1999 World Cup with 461 runs.
Has the 2nd highest score(145) by a wicketkeeper in a World Cup behind AC Gilchrist(149).
He was only the second wicketkeeper-batsman after Zimbabwean Dave Houghton to score an ODI hundred in the World Cup.
He was the second batsman after Mark Waugh to score back-to-back hundreds in the World Cup

Captaincy Records
He is tied with Sachin Tendulkar in fourth place for having captained India in the most victorious matches

Other Records
Has the record of not being dismissed on duck for 120 consecutive ODI matches
3rd Highest number of fifties, after Sachin Tendulkar (89) and Inzamam Ul Haq (83)

[edit]
Captaincy

[edit]
Achievements
Rahul Dravid is the only other Indian to be the top scorer (first one is Sachin Tendulkar - twice - 1996,2003) in a World Cup. He amassed 461 runs in the 1999 World Cup, the first World Cup he played.
Rahul Dravid led India to a historic Test series win, against the West Indies in their home soil in 2006. Since 1971, India had never won a Test series in the West Indies. This is also their first prominent series win outside the Indian subcontinent (barring the win against Zimbabwe in 2005) since 1986.
Under Dravid's captaincy the Indian team tied the previous record of most consecutive One-Day International wins for an Indian team thus equalling the record run that the Indian team had achieved under Sourav Ganguly in the 2003 World Cup in South Africa (8).
During his captaincy the Indian team broke the 14 match West Indies record for most consecutive won matches in One-Day Internationals while chasing a total. For this 17 match run, Dravid was the captain for 15 matches and Sourav Ganguly was the captain for the other two. This streak was broken on 5/20/06, when India lost to the West Indies by one run, at Sabina Park, Jamaica.
Rahul Dravid is the first captain to lead India to a Test match victory against South Africa on South African soil
He became only the third captain from India to win a Test series in England. This feat was achieved after 21 years. The other two captains being Kapil Dev (1986) and Ajit Wadekar (1971).
He has hit 10,000 runs in both tests and one day internationals, making him only the third batsmen after Tendulkar and Lara to achieve this feat. Ponting is the only other man to have done this.

[edit]
Criticism
One of Dravid's most debated decisions was taken in March 2004, when he was standing in as captain for an injured Sourav Ganguly. The Indian first innings was declared at a point when Sachin Tendulkar was at 194 with 16 overs remaining on Day 2. [35]
Rahul Dravid has had a mixed record when leading India in Tests. India lost the Karachi Test in 2006, giving Pakistan the series 1-0. In March 2006, India lost the Mumbai Test, giving England its first Test victory in India since 1985, enabling Flintoff's men to draw the series 1-1. While the loss in Karachi could be put down to several Indian batsmen playing badly, the defeat in Mumbai was arguably the result of Dravid's decision to bowl first on a flat dry pitch which later deteriorated and ended with an Indian collapse in the run chase.
He was crticised by Vijay Mallya for not picking the team with right balance since Dravid's team Bangalore Royal Challengers was the second last team in the 2008 Indian Premier League. [36]
After India failed to qualify for the Finals of the DLF Cup, Indian skipper Rahul Dravid was criticised by former all-rounder Ravi Shastri who said that he was not assertive enough and let Greg Chappell make too many decisions[37]. When asked for a response, Dravid said that Shastri, while a 'fair critic', was 'not privy' to the internal decision-making process of the team [38].

[edit]
Teams

[edit]
International
India (current)
ACC Asian XI
ICC World XI

[edit]
Indian first-class
Karnataka
South Zone

[edit]
Indian Premier League
Royal Challengers Bangalore

[edit]
English county
Kent
Scotland

[edit]
Timeline
1973 - Born 11 January 1973, in Indore
1984 - Attended a summer coaching camp at KSCA's Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, where his talents were spotted by former cricketer turned coach Keki Tarapore (There was another Keki Tarapore [Mumbai, deceased] with whom people confuse this gentleman who also passed on.)
Scores his first century in an unofficial match for his school team St. Joseph's against St. Anthony's.
Scores a double hundred for the Karnataka schools team which he smashed against Kerala.
Selected for the under-15 Karnataka team.
Stops keeping wickets on advice from Gundappa Vishwanath, Roger Binny, Brijesh Patel and coach Keki Tarapore.
1985 - Gets recognised in Bangalore as a prodigy after becoming the first ever to score a century in the Cottonian Shield inter school tournament (Juniors) for St. Josephs High School against Baldwin Boys' High School, in the final.
1991 - Ranji debut against Maharashtra.
1996 - Double century in Ranji finals, vs. Tamil Nadu.
1996 - Test debut at Lords, England after Sanjay Manjrekar was injured and Navjot Singh Sidhu flew back home after a fracas with captain Azharuddin. Makes 95.
1997 - Maiden Test hundred (148), vs. South Africa, third Test, Johannesburg.
1997 - First one day hundred (107), vs. Pakistan, Independence Cup, Chennai.
1998 - Dropped from One Day squad for the ODI tournament in Bangladesh.
1999 - Hundred in both innings (190,103) against New Zealand in Hamilton.
1999 - Makes 461 runs, including three 50s and two 100s in World Cup.
1999 - Signs up with Kent for the 2000 English county season.
2001 - Scores 180, while V. V. S. Laxman makes 281, in a fifth-wicket stand of 376 as India defeat Australia at Eden Gardens, ending 16 Test-winning streak by Australia.
2004 - Career best 270 against Pakistan, at Rawalpindi.
2005 - Succeeds Sourav Ganguly as Test and ODI captain.
2005 - The Nice Guy Who Finished First by Devendra Prabhudesai, released by coach Greg Chappell.
2006 - Scores first century as captain, at Lahore, vs. Pakistan.
2006 - Contributed in a remarkable 410 runs partnership with Sehwag at Multan.
2006 - Leads India to snatch their first ever test victory on South African Soil.
2007 - Leads India in the 2007 Cricket World Cup, held in West Indies.
2007 - After India's tour of England, resigns from Indian captaincy.
2007 - Dropped from the Indian ODI Squad after poor series against Australia.
2008 - Reached the landmark of 10000 Test runs, in the first Test of the series against South Africa in Chennai on 29 March

[edit]
Career highlights

[edit]
Tests

Test Debut: vs England, Lord's, 1996
Dravid's best Test batting score of 270 was made against Pakistan, Rawalpindi, 2003-2004
His best Test bowling figures of 1 for 18 came against West Indies, St. John's, 2001-2002
He is only the third Indian to score over 10,000 Test runs, following Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar.
He is the fastest batsman in the history of Test cricket to make 9,000 runs. The former Indian captain brought up the landmark in his 176th innings playing against West Indies in 2006 and broke the earlier record of Brian Lara

[edit]
One-Day Internationals

ODI Debut: vs Sri Lanka, Singapore, 1995-1996
Dravid's best ODI batting score of 153 was made against New Zealand, Hyderabad, 1999-2000
His best ODI bowling figures of 2 for 43 came against South Africa, Kochi, 1999-2000
6th player and 3rd Indian to score 10,000 runs. He broke the barrier by scoring 66 against Sri Lanka and levelling the series 1-1.

[edit]
Achievements

[edit]
Awards
1999: Ceat Cricketer of the 1999 World Cup
2000: Wisden Cricketer of the Year 2000[39]
2004: Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy Winner (Awarded for ICC Player of the Year)[40]
2004: Padma Shri[41]
2004: ICC Test Player of The Year[40]
2006: Captain of the ICC's Test Team[42]

[edit]
Test Cricket Awards

Test Match - Man of the Series Awards:# Series Season Series Performance
1 India in England Test Series 2002 602 (4 Matches, 6 Innings, 3x100, 1x50); 10 Catches
2 Border-Gavaskar Trophy (India in Australia Test Series) 2003/04 619 Runs (4 Matches, 8 Innings, 1x100, 3x50); 4 Catches
3 India in West Indies Test Series 2006 496 Runs (4 Matches, 7 Innings, 1x100, 4x50); 8 Catches


Test Matches - Man of the Match Awards:S No Opponent Venue Season Match Performance
1 South Africa Wanderers, Johannesburg 1996/97 1st Innings: 148 (21x4); 1 Catch
2nd Innings: 81 (11x4); 1 Catch
2 West Indies Bourda, Georgetown 1996/97 1st Innings: 92 (8x4, 1x6)
3 England Headingley, Leeds 2002/03 1st Innings: 148 (23x4)
2nd Innings: 3 Catches
4 England The Oval, London 2002/03 1st Innings: 217 (28x4); 3 Catches
5 New Zealand Motera, Ahmedabad 2003/04 1st Innings: 222 (28x4, 1x6); 2 Catches
2nd Innings: 73 (6x4); 1 Catch
6 Australia Adelaide Oval, Adelaide 2003/04 1st Innings: 233 (23x4, 1x6); 1 Catch
2nd Innings: 72* (7x4); 2 Catches
7 Pakistan Rawalpindi 2003/04 1st Innings: 270 (34x4, 1x6)
2nd Innings: 1 Catch
8 Pakistan Eden Gardens, Kolkata 2004/05 1st Innings: 110 (15x4, 1x6); 1 Catch
2nd Innings: 135 (15x4)
9 West Indies Sabina Park, Kingston 2006 1st Innings: 81 (10x4)
2nd Innings: 68 (12x4); 1 Catch


[edit]
ODI Matches

ODI Matches - Man of the Match Awards:S No Opponent Venue Season Match Performance
1 Pakistan Toronto 1996 46 (93b, 3x4)
2 South Africa Kingsmead, Durban 1996/97 84 (94b, 5x4, 1x6); 1 Catch
3 New Zealand Taupo 1998/99 123* (123b, 10x4, 1x6)
4 New Zealand Eden Park, Auckland 1998/99 51 (71b, 5x4, 1x6)
5 West Indies Toronto 1999 77 (87b, 6x4, 2x6); 4 Catches
6 Zimbabwe Bulawayo 2001 72* (64b, 7x4, 1x6)
7 Sri Lanka Edgbaston, Birmingham 2002 64 (95b, 5x4, 1x6); 1 Catch
8 UAE Dambulla 2004 104 (93b, 8x4); 1 Catch, 1 Stumping
9 West Indies Dambulla 2005 52* (65b, 7x4), 1 Catch
10 Sri Lanka Vidharba CA Ground, Nagpur 2005/06 85 (63b, 8x4, 1x6); 1 Catch
11 South Africa Mumbai 2005/06 78* (106b, 10x4)
12 Pakistan Abu Dhabi 2005/06 92 (116b, 10x4); 1 Catch
13 West Indies Sabina Park, Kingston 2006 105 (102b, 10x4, 2x6); 1 Catch
14 England Edgbaston 2007 92* (63b, 7x4, 1x6)


[edit]
Controversies

[edit]
Ball-Tampering Incident

In January 2004 Dravid was found guilty of ball tampering during an ODI with Zimbabwe. Match referee Clive Lloyd adjudged the application of an energy sweet to the ball as a deliberate offence although Dravid himself denied this was his intent. [43] Lloyd emphasised that television footage conclusively showed the star Indian batsman intentionally applying a lozenge to the ball during the Zimbabwean innings on Tuesday night at the Gabba, which was in breach of clause 2.10 of the ICC's Code of Conduct.

Indian coach John Wright came out in defence of Dravid, stating that "It was an innocent mistake". Dravid did not comment on the incident due to ICC regulations, but former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly also stated that Dravid's act was "just an accident". Ricky Ponting had his own take on the incident, asserting "I don't think you'll see us doing anything like that," [44]

[edit]
Biographies

Rahul Dravid has 2 biographies written on his career:
Rahul Dravid - A Biography written by Vedam Jaishankar (ISBN 817476481X). Publisher: UBSPD Publications. Date: January 2004[45]
The Nice Guy Who Finished First written by Devendra Prabhudesai. Publisher: Rupa Publications. Date: November 2005[46]

[edit]
Endorsments
Reebok: 1996 - present[47]
Pepsi: 1997 present[48]
Kissan: Unknown[49]
Castrol: 2001 - present[50]
Hutch: 2003
Karnataka Tourism: 2004[51]
Max Life: 2005 - present[52]
Bank of Baroda: 2005 - present[53]
Citizen: 2006 - present[54]
Skyline Construction: 2006 - present[55]
Sansui: 2007 - present[56]
Gillette: 2007 - now

Social Commitments:
Children's Movement for Civic Awareness (CMCA)[57]
UNICEF Supporter and AIDS Awareness Campaign[58]

Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkarpronunciation (help·info) (Marathi: सचिन रमेश तेंडुलकर), born April 24, 1973 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, is an Indian cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket.[5][6][7] In 2002, Wisden ranked him the second greatest Test batsman of all time next only to Sir Donald Bradman, and the second greatest one-day international (ODI) batsman of all time next only to Sir Viv Richards.[8] In September 2007, Shane Warne, the world-record breaking Australian leg spinner, rated Sachin Tendulkar as the greatest player he has played with or against.[9] Sachin Tendulkar was the only player of the current generation to be included in Bradman's Eleven, the dream team of Sir Donald Bradman, published in his biography.[10] He is sometimes referred to as the Little Master or the Master Blaster.[11][12]

Tendulkar is the highest run scorer in both Test matches and ODIs, and also the batsman with the most centuries in either form of the game. On October 17, 2008, when he surpassed Brian Lara's record for the most runs scored in Test Cricket, he also became the first batsman to score 12,000 runs in that form of the game,[13] having also been the third batsman and first Indian to pass 11,000 runs in Test cricket.[14] He was also the first player to score 10,000 runs in one-day internationals, and also the first player to cross every subsequent 1000-run mark that has been crossed in ODI cricket history. In the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, Tendulkar surpassed Australia's Allan Border to become the player to cross the 50-run mark the most number of times in Test cricket history, and also the second ever player to score 10 Test centuries against Australia, after only Sir Jack Hobbs of England more than 70 years back.[15] Tendulkar has been honored with the Padma Vibhushan award, India's second highest civilian award, and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, India's highest sporting honor.
Full name Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar
Nickname Little Master, Master Blaster,[1] The Master,[2][3] The Little Champion[4]
Born 24 April 1973 (1973-04-24) (age 35)
 Mumbai, India
Height 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Batting style Right-handed
Bowling style Right-arm leg break/off break/medium
Role Batsman
International information
National side India
Test debut (cap 187) 15 November 1989: v Pakistan
Last Test 6 November 2008: v Australia
ODI debut (cap 74) 18 December 1989: v Pakistan
Last ODI 26 November 2008:v England
ODI shirt no. 10
Domestic team information
Years Team
1988–present Mumbai
1992 Yorkshire
2008-present Mumbai Indians (Indian Premier League)
Career statistics
 Tests ODIs FC LA
Matches 154 419 254 506
Runs scored 12,273 16,422 21,036 19,974
Batting average 54.30 44.26 58.59 45.19
100s/50s 40/51 42/90 66/97 53/108
Top score 248* 186* 248* 186*
Balls bowled 3,880 8,009 7,239 10,185
Wickets 42 154 67 201
Bowling average 53.02 44.12 61.43 41.90
5 wickets in innings 0 2 0 2
10 wickets in match 0 n/a 0 n/a
Best bowling 3/10 5/32 3/10 5/32
Catches/stumpings 100/– 126/– 167/– 161/–
Early years and personal life

Tendulkar was born in Bombay (now Mumbai). His father, Ramesh Tendulkar, a Marathi novelist, named Tendulkar after his favourite music director, Sachin Dev Burman. Tendulkar's elder brother Ajit encouraged him to play cricket. Tendulkar has two other siblings: a brother Nitin, and sister Savitai.

Tendulkar attended Sharadashram Vidyamandir (High School), where he began his cricketing career under the guidance of his coach and mentor, Ramakant Achrekar. During his school days he attended the MRF Pace Foundation to train as a fast bowler, but Australian fast bowler Dennis Lillee, who took a world record 355 Test wickets, was unimpressed, suggesting that Tendulkar focus on his batting instead.[16]

When he was young, Tendulkar would practice for hours on end in the nets. If he became exhausted, Achrekar would put a one-Rupee-coin on the top of the stumps, and the bowler who dismissed Tendulkar would get the coin. If Tendulkar passed the whole session without getting dismissed, the coach would give him the coin. Tendulkar now considers the 13 coins he won then as some of his most prized possessions.[citation needed]

While at school, he developed a reputation as a child prodigy. He had become a common conversation point in Mumbai circles, where there were suggestions already that he would become one of the greats. His season in 1988 was extraordinary, with Tendulkar scoring a century in every innings he played. He was involved in an unbroken 664-run partnership in a Lord Harris Shield inter-school game in 1988 with friend and team mate Vinod Kambli, who would also go on to represent India. The destructive pair reduced one bowler to tears and made the rest of the opposition unwilling to continue the game. Tendulkar scored 326* in this innings and scored over a thousand runs in the tournament.[17] This was a record partnership in any form of cricket until 2006, when it was broken by two under-13 batsmen in a match held at Hyderabad in India.

When he was 14, Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar gave him a pair of his own ultra light pads. "It was the greatest source of encouragement for me," he said nearly 20 years later after surpassing Gavaskar's top world record of 34 Test centuries. This was in the same year as his first-class debut. Tendulkar never played for any Under-19 teams, crossing straight into the seniors.

In 1995, Sachin Tendulkar married Anjali (born November 10, 1967), a paediatrician and daughter of Gujarati industrialist Anand Mehta. They have two children, Sara (born October 12, 1997), and Arjun (born September 24, 1999).[18]

Tendulkar sponsors 200 underprivileged children every year through Apnalaya, a Mumbai-based NGO associated with his mother-in-law, Annaben Mehta. He is reluctant to speak about his charitable activities[citation needed], choosing to preserve the sanctity of his personal life despite the media interest in him.[citation needed]

Domestic career

On December 11, 1988, aged just 15 years and 232 days, Tendulkar scored 100 not-out in his debut first-class match for Mumbai against Gujarat, making him the youngest cricketer to score a century on his first-class debut. His first double century was for Mumbai while playing against the visiting Australian team at the Brabourne Stadium in 1998.

Tendulkar is the only player to score a century in all three of his Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy and Irani Trophy debuts.

In 1992, at the age of 19, Tendulkar became the first overseas born player to represent Yorkshire (Craig White, although born in Yorkshire was the first player to be signed as an overseas player by Yorkshire. He had to be listed as an overseas player as he had already played for Victoria in Australia). Tendulkar played 16 first-class matches for the county and scored 1070 runs at an average of 46.52.[19]

Indian Premier League

Tendulkar was made the icon player and captain for his home side, the Mumbai Indians in the inaugural Indian Premier League Twenty20 competition in 2008.[20] As an icon player, he was signed for a sum of US$1,121,250, 15% more than the second-highest paid player in the team, Sanath Jayasuriya.[21]

International career

Early career

Tendulkar played his first Test match against Pakistan in Karachi in 1989 under the leadership of Kris Srikkanth. According to Cricinfo's Andrew Miller and Martin Williamson, India took an unconventional approach to combating the Pakistani pace attack by calling up a "baby-faced 16-year-old with one season of first-class cricket to his name".[22] He made just 15 runs, being bowled by Waqar Younis, who also made his debut in that match, but was impressive in how he handled numerous blows to his body at the hands of the Pakistani pace attack.[22] Tendulkar followed it up with his maiden Test fifty a few days later at Faisalabad. His One Day International (ODI) debut on December 18 was disappointing. He was dismissed without scoring a run, again by Waqar Younis. The series was followed by a tour of New Zealand in which he fell for 88 in the Second Test. His maiden Test century came in the next tour, to England in August 1990 at Old Trafford. Tendulkar further enhanced his development into a world-class batsman during the 1991–1992 tour of Australia that included an unbeaten 148 in Sydney (the first of many battles against Shane Warne who made his debut in the match) and a century on the fast and bouncy track at Perth. Merv Hughes famously commented to Allan Border at the time that "This little prick's going to get more runs than you, AB."[23]

Rise through the ranks
Sachin Tendulkar waits at the bowler's end

Tendulkar's performance through the years 1994–1999 coincided with his physical peak, in his early twenties. On the day of the Hindu festival Holi, Tendulkar was told to open the batting at Auckland against New Zealand in 1994.[24] He went on to make 82 runs off 49 balls. He scored his first ODI century on September 9, 1994 against Australia in Sri Lanka at Colombo. It had taken him 79 ODIs to score a century.

In 1996 against Pakistan in Sharjah, Indian captain Mohammed Azharuddin was going through a lean patch. Tendulkar and Navjot Singh Sidhu both made centuries to set a record partnership for the second wicket. After getting out, Tendulkar found Azharuddin in two minds to bat out. Tendulkar boosted Azharuddin to bat and Azharuddin subsequently unleashed 29 runs in mere 10 balls. It enabled India post a score in excess of 300 runs for the first time. India went on to win that match.

Tendulkar's rise continued when he was the leading run scorer at the 1996 Cricket World Cup, topping the batting averages whilst scoring two centuries. He was the only Indian batsman to perform in the infamous semi-final of that World Cup. When Tendulkar's wicket fell, the Indian batting lineup collapsed and India conceded defeat after the crowd began angry demonstrations.

This was the beginning of a period at the top of the batting world, culminating in the Australian tour of India in early 1998, with Tendulkar scoring three consecutive centuries. These were characterized by a premeditated plan to target Australian spinners Shane Warne and Gavin Robertson, to whom he regularly charged down the pitch to drive over the infield. This technique worked as India beat Australia. The test match success was followed by two scintillating knocks in Sharjah where he scored two consecutive centuries in a must-win game and then in finals against Australia tormenting Shane Warne once again. Following the series Warne ruefully joked that he was having nightmares about his Indian nemesis.[25] He also had a role with the ball in that series, including a 5 wicket haul in an ODI. Set 310 runs to win, Australia were cruising comfortably at 3 for 203 in the 31st over when Tendulkar turned the match for India taking wickets of Michael Bevan, Steve Waugh, Darren Lehmann, Tom Moody and Damien Martyn for just 32 runs in 10 overs.[26]

Tendulkar single-handedly won the ICC 1998 quarterfinal at Dhaka to pave way for India's entry into the semifinals, when he took 4 Australian wickets after scoring 141 runs in just 128 balls.

A chronic back problem flared up when Pakistan toured India in 1999, with India losing the historic Test at Chepauk despite a gritty century from Tendulkar himself. The worst was yet to come as Professor Ramesh Tendulkar, Tendulkar's father, died in the middle of the 1999 Cricket World Cup. Tendulkar flew back to India to attend the final rituals of his father, missing the match against Zimbabwe. However, he returned with a bang to the World cup scoring a century (unbeaten 140 off 101 balls) in his very next match against Kenya in Bristol. He dedicated this century to his father.[27]

Captaincy

Tendulkar's two tenures as captain of the Indian cricket team were not very successful. When Tendulkar took over as Captain in 1996, it was with huge hopes and expectations. However, by 1997 the team was performing poorly. Azharuddin was credited with saying "Nahin jeetega! Chote ki naseeb main jeet nahin hai!",[28] which translates into: "He won't win! It's not in the small one's destiny".

Tendulkar, succeeding Azharuddin as captain for his second term, then led India on a tour of Australia, where the visitors were comprehensively beaten 3-0 by the newly-crowned world champions.[29] After another Test series defeat, this time by a 0-2 margin at home against South Africa, Tendulkar resigned, and Sourav Ganguly took over as captain in 2000.

Tendulkar remains an integral part of the Indian team's strategic processes. He is often seen in discussion with the captain, at times actively involved in building strategies. Former captain Rahul Dravid publicly acknowledged that Tendulkar had been suggesting moves such as the promotion of Irfan Pathan up the batting order which, although only temporary, had an immediate effect on the team's fortunes.

Injuries

Tendulkar continued his good form in Test cricket in 2001 and 2002, with some pivotal performances with both bat and ball. Tendulkar took three wickets on the final day of the famous Kolkata Test against Australia in 2001. Tendulkar took the key wickets of Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist, centurions in the previous test.

Tendulkar made 673 runs in 11 matches in the 2003 Cricket World Cup, helping India reach the final. While Australia retained the trophy that they had won in 1999, Tendulkar was given the Man of the Tournament award. The drawn series as India toured Australia in 2003/04 saw Tendulkar making his mark in the last Test of the series, with 241* in Sydney, putting India in a virtually unbeatable position. He followed up the innings with an unbeaten 50 in the second innings of the test and then an unbeaten 194 against Pakistan at Multan in the following series. The 194 was controversial in that he was stranded prior to reaching his double century as a result of a declaration by Rahul Dravid. In meeting with the press that evening, Tendulkar responded to a question on missing 200 against Pakistan by stating that he was disappointed and that the declaration had taken him by surprise.[30] Many former cricketers commented that Dravid's declaration was in bad taste.[31][32] The media noted at the time that the decision had apparently been made by Sourav Ganguly,[33] and Ganguly himself later admitted that it had been a mistake.[34] The controversy was put to rest when Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and coach John Wright spoke to the media after the team's victory and stated that the matter was spoken internally and put to rest.[35]

Although he was in strong form, tennis elbow then took its toll on Tendulkar, leaving him out of the side for most of the year, coming back only for the last two tests when Australia toured India in 2004. He played a part in India's victory in Mumbai in that series, though Australia took the series 2-1.

On December 10, 2005 at Feroz Shah Kotla, Tendulkar scored his record-breaking 35th Test century, against the Sri Lankans. On February 6, 2006, he scored his 39th ODI hundred, in a match against Pakistan. He followed with a run-a-ball 42 in the second one-day international against Pakistan on February 11, 2006, and then a 95 in hostile, seaming conditions on February 13, 2006 in Lahore, which set up an Indian victory.

On March 19, 2006, after scoring an unconvincing 1 off 21 balls against England in the first innings of the third Test in his home ground, Wankhede, Tendulkar was booed off the ground by a section of the crowd,[36][37] the first time that he had ever faced such flak. Tendulkar was to end the three-Test series without a single half-century to his credit, and news of a shoulder operation raised more questions about his longevity. Tendulkar was operated upon for his injured shoulder. In July 2006, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that Tendulkar had overcome his injury problem following a rehabilitation programme and was available for selection, and he was eventually selected for the next series.

Comeback

Tendulkar's comeback came in the DLF cup in Malaysia and he was the only Indian batsman to shine. In his comeback match, against West Indies on September 14, 2006, Tendulkar responded to his critics who believed that his career was inexorably sliding with his 40th ODI century. Though he scored 141*, West Indies won the rain-affected match by the D/L method.

In the preparation for the 2007 Cricket World Cup, Tendulkar was criticized by Greg Chappell on his attitude.[38] As per the report, Chappell felt that Tendulkar would be more useful down the order, while the latter felt that he would be better off opening the innings, the role he had played for most of his career. Chappell also believed that Tendulkar's repeated failures were hurting the team's chances. In a rare show of emotion, Tendulkar hit out at the comments attributed to Chappell by pointing out that no coach has ever suggested his attitude towards cricket is incorrect. On April 7, 2007, the Board of Control for Cricket in India issued a notice to Tendulkar asking for an explanation for his comments made to the media.[39]

At the Cricket World Cup 2007 in the West Indies, Tendulkar and the Indian cricket team, led by Rahul Dravid had a dismal campaign. Tendulkar, who was pushed to bat lower down the order by the Greg Chappell had scores of 7 (Bangladesh), 57* (Bermuda) and 0 (Sri Lanka). As a result, former Australian captain Ian Chappell, brother of the then Indian coach Greg, called for Tendulkar to retire in his column for Mumbai's Mid Day newspaper.[40]

In the subsequent series against Bangladesh, Tendulkar returned to his opening slot and was Man of the Series. He continued by scoring two consecutive scores of 90+ in the Future Cup against South Africa. He was the leading run scorer and was adjudged the Man of the Series.[41]
Tendulkar upon reaching his 38th Test century against Australia in the 2nd Test at the SCG in 2008, where he finished not out on 154

On the second day of the Nottingham Test (July 28, 2007) Tendulkar became the third cricketer to complete 11,000 Test runs.[42] In the subsequent One day series against England, Tendulkar was the leading run scorer from India[43] with an average of 53.42. In the ODI Series against Australia in October 2007 Tendulkar was the leading Indian run scorer with 278 runs.[44]

Tendulkar was dismissed seven times in 2007 between 90 and 100, including three times at 99, leading some to suggest that he struggles to cope with nerves in this phase of his career. Tendulkar has got out 23 times between 90 and 100 in his international career. On November 8, 2007 he got out on 99 against Pakistan in an ODI at Mohali to the bowling of Umar Gul caught by Kamran Akmal. In the fourth ODI, he got out on 97 (off 102 balls with 16 fours) after dragging a delivery from Umar Gul on to his stumps, falling short of another century in ODIs in 2007.

In the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, 2007-08, Tendulkar showed exceptional form, becoming the leading run scorer with 493 runs in four Tests, despite consistently failing in the second innings. Sachin scored 62 runs in the first innings of the first Test at the MCG in Melbourne, but couldn't prevent a heavy 337-run win for Australia. In the controversial New Years Test at Sydney, Tendulkar scored an unbeaten 154 as India lost the Test. This was his third century at the SCG, earning him an average of 221.33 at the ground. In the third Test at the WACA in Perth, Sachin was instrumental in India's first innings score of 330, scoring a well compiled 71, only to be dismissed by what was later confirmed to be a questionable LBW decision. India went on to record a historic triumph at the WACA. In the fourth Test at Adelaide, which ended in a draw, he scored 153 in the first innings, involving in a crucial 126 run stand with V.V.S. Laxman for the fifth wicket to lead India to a score of 282 for 5 from 156 for 4. He secured the Player of the Match award.

In the One-Day International Commonwealth Bank Tri-Series involving Sri Lanka and Australia, Tendulkar became the first and only batsman to complete 16,000 runs in ODIs. He achieved this feat against Sri Lanka on February 5, 2008 at Brisbane. He started the CB series well notching up scores of 10, 35, 44 and 32, but could not convert the starts into bigger scores. His form dipped a bit in the middle of the tournament, but Sachin came back strongly in India's must-win game against Sri Lanka at Hobart, scoring 63 off 54 balls. He finished the series with a match winning 117 not out of 120 balls in the first final,[45] and 91 runs in the second final.[46]

Style of play

Tendulkar is ambidextrous: He bats, bowls, and throws with his right hand, but writes with his left hand.[47] He also practices left-handed throws at the nets on a regular basis. Cricinfo columnist Sambit Bal has described him as the "most wholesome batsman of his time".[48] His batting is based on complete balance and poise while limiting unnecessary movements and flourishes. He appears to show little preference for the slow and low wickets which are typical in India, and has scored many centuries on the hard, bouncy pitches in the Caribbean Islands and Australia.[48] He is known for his unique punch style of hitting the ball over square. He is also renowned for his picture-perfect straight drive, often completed with no follow-through. Recently, legendary Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar, in an article he wrote in the AFP, remarked that "it is hard to imagine any player in the history of the game who combines classical technique with raw aggression like the little champion does".[4]

Sir Donald Bradman, the greatest batsman of all time, considered Tendulkar to have a batting style similar to his. In his biography, it is stated that "Bradman was most taken by Tendulkar's technique, compactness and shot production, and had asked his wife to have a look at Tendulkar, having felt that Tendulkar played like him. Bradman's wife, Jessie, agreed that they did appear similar."[49]
Tendulkar at the crease.

Former Australian cricket team coach John Buchanan voiced his opinion that Tendulkar had become susceptible to the short ball early in his innings because of a lack of footwork.[50] Buchanan also believes Tendulkar has a weakness while playing left-arm pace.[50] He was affected by a series of injuries since 2004. Since then Tendulkar's batting has tended to be less attacking. Explaining this change in his batting style, he has acknowledged that he is batting differently due to that fact that (1) No batsman can bat the same way for the entire length of a long career and (2) He is a senior member of the team now and thus has more responsibility. During the early part of his career he was a more attacking batsman and frequently scored centuries at close to a run a ball. Ian Chappell, former Australian player, recently remarked that "Tendulkar now, is nothing like the player he was when he was a young bloke".[51] However, during the latest tour of Australia in 2008, Tendulkar displayed glimpses of his attacking style with several masterful innings, dominating attacks in a manner reminiscent of his younger days.

While Tendulkar is not a regular bowler, he is adept at bowling medium pace, leg spin, and off spin with equal ease. He often bowls when two batsmen of the opposite team have been batting together for a long period, as he can often be a useful partnership breaker. With his bowling, he has helped secure an Indian victory on more than one occasion.[52] He is the 9th highest wicket taker for India in ODIs.[53]

Career achievements

  Main articles: Achievements of Sachin Tendulkar and List of ODI Awards for Sachin Tendulkar

An innings-by-innings breakdown of Tendulkar's Test match batting career, showing runs scored (red bars) and the average of the last ten innings (blue line).

Sachin Tendulkar is the most prolific run scorer in one-day internationals with 16,361 runs. With a current aggregate of 12,273 Test runs, he surpassed Brian Lara's previous record tally of 11,953 runs as the highest run scorer in test matches in the second Test of Australia's 2008 tour of India in Mohali.[13] [54] Sachin described “It is definitely the biggest achievement in 19 years of my career” on the day he achieved the record.[55] He also holds the record of highest number of centuries in both Test (40) and ODI cricket (42). Throughout his career, he has made a strong impact on Indian cricket and was, at one time, the foundation of most of the team's victories. In recognition with his impact on sport in a cricket-loving country like India, Tendulkar has been granted the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award, Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India. He was also elected Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1997 and is ranked by the objective scoring method of the Wisden 100 as the second best test batsman and best ODI batsman of all time.

Tendulkar has also consistently done well in Cricket World Cups (excluding the 2007 Cricket World Cup in which India were knocked out after only 3 matches). Tendulkar was the highest run scorer of the 2003 Cricket World Cup and 1996 Cricket World Cup. Tendulkar has scored over 1000 runs in a calendar year in ODIs 7 times, and in one of these years he scored 1894 runs, easily the record for the highest number of runs scored by any player in a single calendar year for one day internationals. Tendulkar is also one of the very few players who are still playing in international cricket from the 1980s.

He has been Man of the Match 11 times in Test matches and Man of the Series 4 times,[56] out of them twice in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. The performances earned him respect from Australian cricket fans and players.[23]

Individual honours

  * Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian award, 2008.[57]
  * ICC World ODI XI: 2004, 2007
  * Player of the tournament in 2003 Cricket World Cup
  * Wisden Cricketer of the Year: 1997
  * Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award, 1999.[58]
  * Arjuna Award, by the Government of India in recognition of his outstanding achievement in Cricket, 1994.[59]
  * Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, India’s highest honour given for achievement in sports, 1997-98.[60]

In September 2007, former Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne published his list of 50 greatest cricketers ever, in which Sachin had secured the number 1 spot.[9] In January 2008, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown suggested that Sachin should be conferred with an honorary knighthood for his contribution to international cricket.[61]

Controversies

Mike Denness incident

  Main article: Mike Denness and Indian cricket team incident

In the second test of India's 2001 tour of South Africa, match referee Mike Denness fined four Indian players for excessive appealing as well as the Indian captain Sourav Ganguly for not controlling his team.[62] Tendulkar was given a suspended ban of one game in light of alleged ball tampering. Television cameras picked up images that suggested Tendulkar may have been involved in cleaning the seam of the cricket ball in the second test match between India and South Africa at St George's Park, Port Elizabeth.[63] This can, under some conditions, amount to altering the condition of the ball. The match referee Mike Denness found Sachin Tendulkar guilty of ball tampering charges and handed him a one Test match ban.[64] The incident escalated to include allegations of racism,[65] and led to Mike Denness being barred from entering the venue of the third test match. After a thorough investigation, the International Cricket Council revoked the official status of the match and the ban on Tendulkar was lifted. Tendulkar's ball tampering charges and Sehwag's ban for excessive appealing triggered a massive backlash from the Indian public and even the Indian parliament.[66]

Controversy over Ferrari customs waiver

In commemorating Sachin Tendulkar's feat of equalling Don Bradman's 29 centuries in Test Cricket, automotive giant Ferrari invited Sachin Tendulkar to its paddock in Silverstone on the eve of the British Grand Prix (July 23, 2002) to receive a Ferrari 360 Modena from the legendary F1 racer Michael Schumacher.[67] On September 4, 2002 India's then finance minister Jaswant Singh wrote to Sachin telling him that the government will waive customs duty imposed on the car as a measure to applaud his feat.[68] However the rules at the time stated that the customs duty can be waived only when receiving an automobile as a prize and not as a gift. It is claimed that the proposals to change the law (Customs Act) was put forth in Financial Bill in February 2003 and amended was passed as a law in May 2003. Subsequently the Ferrari was allowed to be brought to India without payment of the customs duty (Rs 1.13 Crores or 120% on the car value of Rs 75 Lakhs).[69] When the move to waive customs duty became public in July 2003, political and social activists protested the waiver[70] and filed PIL in the Delhi High Court. With the controversy snowballing, Sachin offered to pay the customs duty and the tab was finally picked up by Ferrari.[71] Tendulkar has been seen taking his Ferrari 360 Modena for late-night drives in Mumbai.

Fan following

Sachin Tendulkar's entry into world cricket was very much hyped up by former Indian stars and those who had seen him play. By scoring his first half-century in his second match and his first century aged 17, Tendulkar's consistent performances earned him a fan following across the globe, including amongst Australian crowds, where Tendulkar has consistently scored centuries.[23] One of the most popular sayings by Sachin's fans is "Cricket is my religion and Tendulkar is my God".[61][72][73]

At home in Mumbai, Tendulkar's fan following is so great that he is unable to lead a normal life. Ian Chappell has said that he would be unable to cope with the lifestyle Tendulkar was forced to lead, having to "wear a wig and go out and watch a movie only at night".[51] In an interview with Tim Sheridan, Tendulkar admitted that he sometimes went for quiet drives in the streets of Mumbai late at night when he would be able to enjoy some peace and silence.[74]

Business interests

Tendulkar's immense popularity has led him to numerous profitable business dealings in the past. He currently has the most sponsorships out of all players in world cricket. Sachin Tendulkar was an early pioneer in India on cricket business dealings when he signed a then record sports management deal with Worldtel in 1995, the value of the deal being 30 crore rupees over 5 years.[75] His next contract with WorldTel in 2001 was valued at 80 crores over 5 years.[76] In 2006, he signed a contract with Saatchi and Saatchi's ICONIX values at 180 crores over 3 years.[77] He is the highest earning cricketer in the world.

Making use of his popularity, Tendulkar has opened two restaurants: 'Tendulkar's'[78] (Colaba, Mumbai) & 'Sachin's'[79] (Mulund, Mumbai). Sachin owns these restaurants in partnership with Sanjay Narang of Mars Restaurants. He has also got a new restaurant in Bangalore called Sachin's.

In 2007, Tendulkar also announced a JV with the Future Group and Manipal Group to launch healthcare and sports fitness products under the brand name 'S Drive and Sach'.[80] A series of comic books by Virgin Comics is also due to be published featuring him as a superhero.[81]

Product and brand endorsements

Sachin Tendulkar endorses the following products:

  * Pepsi: 1992 - Present[82]
  * Canon: 2006 - 2009[83]
  * Airtel: 2004-2006[84]
  * Nazara Technologies: 2005 - 2008. License for Mobile Content development based on Sachin.[85]
  o Reliance Communications sub-licensed brand 'Sachin Tendulkar' to update the user of the latest 2007 Cricket World Cup scores and news in Sachin's voice. Hutch - ICC's prime communication sponsor protested calling Reliance's plan as 'ambush marketing', a charge that Reliance Communication denies.[86]
  * Britannia: 2001 - 2007[87]
  * HomeTrade: 2001 - 2002[88]
  * Sunfeast: 2007 - 2013/14[89]
  * National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC): 2003 - 2005[90]
  * Boost: 1990 - Present[91]
  * Action Shoes: 1995 - 2000[92]
  * Adidas: 2000-2010[93]
  * Fiat Palio: 2001 to 2003[94]
  * Reynolds: 2007 - Present[95]
  * TVS: 2002 - 2005[96]
  * ESPN Star Sports: 2002 - Present[97]
  * G-Hanz: 2005 - 2007[98]
  * Sanyo BPL: 2007 - Present[99]
  * AIDS Awareness Campaign: 2005[100]
  * Colgate-Palmolive[101]
  * Philips[101]
  * MRF[101]
  * VISA[101]
  * Aviva
  * Royal Bank of Scotland Group

Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Chandidas Ganguly (Bengali: সৌরভ গাঙ্গুলী) (pronunciation (help·info)) (born 8 July 1972) is a former Indian test cricketer, and captain of the Indian national team. As of October 2008, he was India's most successful Test captain to date, winning 21 tests out of 49 tests he captained[1] and leading India into the 2003 World Cup finals.[2] An aggressive captain, Ganguly is credited with having nurtured the careers of many young players who played under him.[3][4]
The left-handed Ganguly was a prolific One Day International batsman, with over 11,000 ODI runs to his credit.[5] Despite ODI success, his Test place was often lost to younger players towards the later stages of his career. On October 7 2008, Ganguly announced that the Test series against Australia starting that month would be his last.[6][7]. He was dismissed for a golden duck by Jason Krejza in his last Test innings.

Personal information
Full name Sourav Chandidas Ganguly
Nickname Dada, Prince of Kolkata, Bengal Tiger, Maharaja
Born 8 July 1972 (age 36)
Calcutta, Bengal, India
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Batting style Left-handed
Bowling style Right arm medium
Role Batsman
Relations Snehasish Ganguly (Brother)
International information
National side India
Test debut (cap 207) 20 June 1996: v England
Last Test 6 November 2008: v Australia
ODI debut (cap 84) 11 January 1992: v West Indies
Last ODI 15 November 2007:v Pakistan
Domestic team information
Years Team
1989/90–2006/07 Bengal
2000 Lancashire
2005 Glamorgan
2006 Northamptonshire
2008–present Kolkata Knight Riders
Career statistics
Tests ODI FC List A
Matches 113 311 241 423
Runs scored 7,212 11,363 14,864 15,161
Batting average 42.17 41.02 43.84 41.53
100s/50s 16/35 22/72 31/84 31/93
Top score 239 183 239 183
Balls bowled 3,117 4,561 10,920 7,949
Wickets 32 100 164 168
Bowling average 52.53 38.49 36.66 38.41
5 wickets in innings 0 2 4 2
10 wickets in match 0 n/a 0 n/a
Best bowling 3/28 5/16 6/46 5/16
Catches/stumpings 71/– 100/– 166/– 129/–
Source: CricketArchive, 15 November 2008
Early life

The youngest son of Chandidas and Nirupa Ganguly, Ganguly was born on 8 July 1972 in Kolkata.[7] His father ran a flourishing print business and was one of the richest men in Kolkata.[8] He had a luxurious childhood and was nicknamed the Maharaja.[9] Though he was asked to concentrate on his studies and not to play cricket, he was inspired to do so by his brother Snehasish Ganguly,[10] an accomplished left-handed batsman for Bengal.[8] Though he was actually right-handed, he batted left-handed so that he could use his brother's equipment.[10] After he showed some promise as a batsman, he was enrolled in a cricket academy.[10] An indoor multi-gym and concrete wicket was built at home for him and his brother, and he would often watch cricket videos, especially those of David Gower, whom he admired.[8] After he scored a century against the Orissa U-15 side,[10] he was made captain of St Xavier's School's cricket team,[9] where several of his teammates complained against his arrogance.[11]
International career



An innings-by-innings breakdown of Ganguly's Test match batting career, showing runs scored (red bars) and the average of the last ten innings (blue line).
Debut and early career
Following a prolific Ranji season in 1990-91,[12] Ganguly made his One Day International debut for India against West Indies in 1992,[7] and scored three runs.[13] He was dropped immediately since he was perceived to be "arrogant" and his attitude towards the game was openly questioned.[14] He toiled away in domestic cricket, scoring heavily in the 1993–94 and 1994–95 seasons[15][16] Following an innings of 171 in the 1995–96 Duleep Trophy,[17] he was recalled to the national side for the tour of England in 1996 amidst intense media scrutiny.[14] He played in one ODI,[18] but was omitted from the team for the first Test. However, after Navjot Sidhu left the touring party citing ill-treatment by the then captain Mohammed Azharuddin,[19] made his Test debut at Lord's alongside Rahul Dravid, in what was umpire Dickie Bird's last Test.[20] He scored a century, becoming only the third cricketer to score a century on debut at Lord's, after Harry Graham and John Hampshire. Andrew Strauss and Matt Prior have since accomplished this feat, but his 131 still remains the highest by any batsman on his debut at Lord's.[21] In the next Test match at Trent Bridge he made 136, thus becoming only the 3rd batsman to make a century in each of his first two innings (after Lawrence Rowe and Alvin Kallicharran). He shared a 255 run stand with Sachin Tendulkar, which became at that time the highest partnership for India against any country for any wicket outside India.[22]
Opening in ODIs
In 1997 Ganguly scored his maiden ODI century, opening the innings he scored 113, in his side's 238, against Sri Lanka. Later that year he won four consecutive man of the match awards in the Sahara Cup with Pakistan, the second of these was won after he took 5/16 off 10 overs, his best bowling in an ODI. After a barren run in Test cricket his form returned at the end of the year with three centuries in four Tests all against Sri Lanka two of these involved stands with Sachin Tendulkar of over 250.[citation needed]
In January 1998, in the final of the Independence Cup at Dhaka, against Pakistan, he scored 124 as India successfully chased down 315 off 48 overs, winning the Man of the match award. In March 1998 he was part of the India team that defeated Australia, his biggest impact came in Calcutta as he took three wickets having opened the bowling with his medium pace.[citation needed]
In the 1999 World Cup Ganguly scored 183 against Sri Lanka at Taunton, Somerset in England. The innings took 158 balls and included 17 fours and 7 sixes. It is the second highest in World Cup history and the highest by an Indian in the tournament. His partnership of 318 with Rahul Dravid is the highest ever in the World Cup and is the second highest in all ODI cricket.[citation needed]
In 1999/00 India lost Test series to both Australia and South Africa in the five Tests. Ganguly struggled scoring 224 runs at 22.40, however his ODI form was impressive, with five centuries over the season taking him to the top of the One Day Ratings for batsmen.[23]
Ascension to captaincy
In 2000, after the match fixing scandal, Ganguly was named the captain of the India team. In the Champions Trophy of that year he scored 2 centuries but his second in the final was in vain as New Zealand won by four wickets. In 2003 under his captaincy India reached the World Cup Final, where they lost to the Australians.
While he has achieved significant success as captain, his individual performance deteriorated during his captaincy, especially after successes in the World Cup, the tour of Australia in 2003 and the Pakistan series in 2004. Following indifferent form in 2004 and poor form in 2005, he was dropped from the team in October 2005. He remained active on the first-class cricket scene in hopes of a recall, but his performance was a mixed bag - he hit a couple of centuries in domestic cricket, but his English county stint in 2005 and subsequent appearances in the Challenger Trophy were failures.[citation needed]
Having been nominated and rejected in 2001 when the game suffered a tarnished reputation due to match fixing scadals,[24] Ganguly was awarded the Padma Shri in 2004, one of India's highest awards.[25]
In his tenure between 2000 and 2005, Ganguly became India's most successful Test captain. He led his team to victory on 21 occasions – 7 more times than Mohammad Azharuddin with the second most wins – and led them for a record 49 matches – twice more than both Azharuddin and Sunil Gavaskar.[26] Compared to his batting average of 45.47 when not captain,[27] Ganguly's Test batting aerage as captain was a lower 37.66.[28] The pressure of captaincy detracting from Ganguly's batting is also reflected in his ODI batting averages: 38.66 as captain compared to 43.16 when playing as a specialist batsman.[29][30] In ODIs, he captained India 146 , emerging victorious on 76 occasions, second only to Azharuddin in both number of wins and number of matches as captain.[citation needed]
Comeback
Following India's poor batting display in the ICC Champions Trophy 2006[31] and the ODI series in South Africa, in which they were whitewashed 4-0,[32] Ganguly made his comeback to the Test team.[33] Wasim Jaffer, Zaheer Khan and Anil Kumble had earlier been selected for the one-day squad,[34] in what was seen as an indictment of coach Greg Chappell's youth-first policy.[35] Coming in at 37/4, he scored 83 in a tour match against the Rest of South Africa, modifying his original batting style and taking a middle-stump guard,[36] an innings that set up a victory for India.[37] In his first Test innings since his comeback, against South Africa in Johannesburg, he scored 51 in a low scoring game, an innings that helped India win a Test match in South Africa for the first time.[38] Though India went on to lose the series, he topped the run scroing charts for his side.[39]
After his successful Test comeback he was recalled for the ODI team, as India played host to West Indies[40] and Sri Lanka[41] in back to back ODI tournaments. In his first ODI innings in almost 2 years,[42] he scored a matchwinning 98.[43] He performed creditably in both series, averaging almost 70[44] and won the Man of the Series Award against Sri Lanka.[45]
2007 World Cup and aftermath
Following his good performance, Ganguly was named in the squad for the 2007 Cricket World Cup. He was the leading scorer for India in their first round defeat against Bangladesh.[46] After India were knocked out of the tournament in the group stage, there were reports of a rift between certain members of the Indian team and their coach Greg Chappell. Ganguly, allegedly, ignored instructions from the team management to score quickly.[47] After Sachin Tendulkar issued a statement saying that what hurt the team most was that "the coach has questioned our attitude", Chappell decided not to renew his contract with the Indian team.[48]
On 12 December 2007, Ganguly scored his maiden double century of his career while playing against Pakistan in the first innings of the third and final Test match of the series. He was involved in a 300 run partnership for the 5th wicket along with Yuvraj Singh - a much needed partnership that saved India which was struggling at 61 for the fall of four wickets. He later went on to score 239 before being dismissed by Danish Kaneria.
On 18 April 2008, Ganguly led the Kolkata Knight Riders team owned by Shah Rukh Khan in the IPL Twenty20 cricket match to a 140 run victory over Bangalore Royal Challengers led by Rahul Dravid and owned by Vijay Mallya. Ganguly opened the innings with Brendan McCullum and scored 10 runs while his partner Brendan McCullum remained unbeaten blasting his way to a record 158* runs in 73 balls. On 1 May in a game between the Knight Riders and the Rajasthan Royals, Ganguly made his highest score of the season and his second T20 half century, scoring 51 runs off of 39 balls at a strike rate of 130.76. In his innings, Ganguly hit four 4s and two sixes, topping the scorers list for the Knight Riders.
Ganguly has been prolific in both Test and ODI cricket in the year 2007. He scored 1106 Test runs at an average of 61.44 (with three centuries and four fifties) in 2007 to become the second highest run-scorer in Test matches of that year[49] after Jacques Kallis. He is the fifth highest rungetter in 2007 in ODIs,[50] where he scored 1240 runs at 44.28.
Retirement from International Cricket
On October 7th 2008, Ganguly announced that the Test series against Australia starting in October 2008 would be his last[51] and stated "to be honest, I didn't expect to be picked for this series." There were speculations in the media that Ganguly was selected to the Indian side after a secret agreement between him and the BCCI, which offers Ganguly a place in the team in exchange for his retirement after the series. Ganguly denied any such deal between the senior players and the BCCI. [52] In his last innings, he was dismissed for duck off just one ball.
Playing Style

Sourav Ganguly was a left-handed batsman whose runs came primarily from the off-side. Throughout his career, he played off-side shots such as the square cut, square drive and cover drive with elegance and complete command. Early in his career he was not comfortable with the hook and pull, often giving his wicket away with mistiming such shots. He was also criticized for having difficulty in handling short pitched balls and bouncers, notoriously exploited by the Australians and South Africans. However, after his comeback in 2007, he worked upon these weaknesses to a large extent. He used to hit powerful shots to the off-side on front and back foot with equal ease.
In One Day Internationals, where he usually opened the innings, he used to try to take the advantage of fielding restrictions by advancing down the pitch and hitting pace bowlers over extra cover and mid-off. He was also notorious for attacking left arm spin bowlers. Due to excellent hand-eye coordination, he was noted for picking the length of the ball early, coming down the pitch and hitting the ball aerially over mid-on or midwicket, often for a six. However, he did have a weakness in running between the wickets and judging quick singles. There were many instances where Ganguly's batting partner were run out due to Ganguly's calling for a run, and then sending him back while halfway down the pitch.
Ganguly was a right arm medium pace bowler. He could swing and seam the ball both ways and often chips in with useful wickets to break partnerships. Despite not being very athletic as a fielder, Ganguly has taken 100 catches in one-day Internationals.
Controversies

County Cricket
Ganguly's County cricket career in England was not a success. In "The Wisden Cricketer" [3] it was described as follows: "The imperious Indian - dubbed 'Lord Snooty' - deigned to represent Lancashire in 2000. At the crease it was sometimes uncertain whether his partner was a batsman or a batman being dispatched to take his discarded sweater to the pavilion or carry his kit bag. But mutiny was afoot among the lower orders. In one match Ganguly, after reaching his fifty, raised his bat to the home balcony, only to find it deserted. He did not inspire at Glamorgan or Northamptonshire either. At the latter in 2006 he averaged 4.80 from his four first-class appearances."
The Chappell - Ganguly controversy
Main article: Chappell Ganguly controversy
His dispute with then-coach Greg Chappell resulted in many headlines during 2005 and early 2006. Greg Chappell emailed the BCCI stating that Ganguly was unfit to lead India and that his "divide and rule" behaviour was damaging the team. This email was leaked to the media and resulted in huge backlash from Ganguly's fans. Eventually due to his poor form and differences with the coach he was stripped of his captaincy and dropped from the team. However, 10 months later, during India's tour to South Africa, Ganguly was recalled after his middle order replacements Suresh Raina and Mohammad Kaif suffered poor form.
Shirt take-off at Lords


The shirt that Ganguly took off during the celebrative mood after his team's extraordinary win in the Natwest Series Final
During the final match of the 2002 Natwest Trophy held in Lords after a stunning performance by team mates Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif, Sourav Ganguly took off his shirt in public and brandished it in the air to celebrate India's winning of the match. He was later strongly condemned for tarnishing the gentleman's game image of cricket and disrespecting Lords protocol. Ganguly said that he was only mimicking an act performed by the English all-rounder Andrew Flintoff during a tour of India.
Other controversies
Ganguly is an aggressive player and has often attracted controversy. He has attracted the wrath of match referrees quite a few times, the most severe of which was a ban for 6 matches by ICC match referee Clive Lloyd for slow over rates against Pakistan and therefore his tour to Sri Lanka for the Indian Oil Cup 2005 was uncertain. These circumstances led to Rahul Dravid being made captain for the tour. Later, Justice Albey Sachs reduced the punishment from 6 matches to 4, and this permitted Ganguly to join the team, but as a player and not captain. In his opening match he made the highest score of the side (51 off 110 balls).[4] He was again named captain for the Zimbabwe tour of August-September 2005. With this, he has captained India in the highest number of Tests (49).
During the 2003 World Cup final against Australia, Ganguly won the toss and decided to field. This decision raised eyebrows but Sourav remained confident that there would be moisture on the pitch that would help his bowlers; however the bowlers flopped and Sourav performed poorly with the bat. India went on to lose by 125 runs, a staggering defeat.
Ganguly's performance in the last couple of seasons after that were extremely poor. This put his place in the Indian team under pressure. In the tour of Zimbabwe, in which he was newly reinstated as skipper, Ganguly ground out a painfully slow century, against what is regarded as one of the weakest bowling attacks in international cricket. During the match he told reporters that newly-appointed coach Greg Chappell had asked him to stand down as captain — a comment which Chappell later played down. However, forty-eight hours after saying that he respected the Indian captain and looked forward to working with him in the future, Chappell sent an email to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Both Ganguly and Chappell were summoned to a BCCI board meeting in which they agreed to work together for the good of the team. Rahul Dravid was appointed captain for the series against Sri Lanka and South Africa after Ganguly was not selected for the opening games due to injury. When the two series were over, Rahul Dravid was asked to continue as skipper.
On 22 November 2005, Ganguly stepped down as captain of Bengal cricket team after being replaced as captain of the India Test team. He played in the first two Test matches in the three-Test series against Sri Lanka. However, on 14 December he was controversially dropped for the third Test at Ahmedabad, to make way for Wasim Jaffer, an opening batsman for Mumbai. Jaffer was picked by the selectors as they wished to build up a player selection pool with sufficient experience to succeed at international level. Despite this, in December 2005 he retained his A-grade contract from the BCCI.
Following the drop, fans blocked roads and railway tracks in Kolkata, burning effigies of chief selector Kiran More and Indian coach Chappell, and the urban development minister of West Bengal, Asoke Bhattacharya, said Ganguly was a victim of the internal politics of the BCCI.[53] Cricinfo editor Sambit Bal wrote in a commentary that this was "in all probability ... the end of the road for him."[54] However, it was announced on 25 December 2005 that he was selected as part of the Indian team to tour Pakistan. Kiran More cited his experience as the key reason, with Mohammed Kaif being dropped.[55] He was in the playing XI in the Lahore and Karachi Tests, but was dropped for the Faisalabad match. He was unable to play in the England home series and the West Indies tour. He was also not selected for the following tri-series in Sri Lanka. However, he was chosen amongst 30 probables for the ICC Champions Trophy after being left out in the dark for almost close to a year. Ganguly failed in the Challenger Trophy, however, managing less than 30 runs in two games, and so the chances of recall to the ODI side look bleak.
Ganguly later sent an email hitting out at his one time mentor saying that Jagmohan Dalmiya did not deserve to become CAB president as he had played with his career and that Ganguly was a victim of internal politics within the BCCI. This was in the backdrop of the CAB elections which Jagmohan Dalmiya won.
Records

Ganguly is the seventh Indian cricketer to have played 100 Test matches.[56] He is currently the 4th highest overall run scorer for India in Tests.[57] He is the fourth Indian to have played in more than 300 One Day Internationals.[58] In terms of overall runs scored in ODIs, Ganguly is the second among Indians after Sachin Tendulkar (who has the highest ODI runs in the world) and the fourth in the world.[59] Ganguly has scored 16 centuries in Test matches and 22 in ODIs. He is one of only seven batsmen to score more than 10,000 runs in ODIs.[60] Ganguly has 22 centuries in ODIs, in terms of number of centuries in ODIs, he is only behind[61] Sachin Tendulkar, Sanath Jayasuriya and Ricky Ponting. Sourav, along with Sachin Tendulkar, formed by far the most successful opening pair in One Day Cricket, having amassed the highest number of century partnerships (26) for the first wicket. Together, they have scored more than 7000 runs at an average of 48.98, now with Sachin he is a world record holder for creating most no. of 50 run partnership in the first wicket(44 fifties).[62]
Ganguly is the fourth player to cross 11,000 ODI runs and third player to cross 10,000 ODI runs and so far the fastest in ODI history, after Sachin Tendulkar. He also reached 6000, 7000, 8000 and 9000 ODI runs milestones in the fewest number of matches. Sourav can bowl medium-pacers as well, taking 31 wickets in 99 matches, at an average of 52.47. As of 2006, he is the only Indian captain to win a Test series in Pakistan (although two of the three Tests of that series was led by Rahul Dravid). He is also one of the 3 players in the world to achieve amazing treble of 10,000 runs, 100 wickets and 100 catches in ODI cricket history, the others being Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya.
Test
Captained India in a record 49 Test matches[63]
Led India to a record 21 Test wins[64]
His Test average has never been less than 40.[65]
ODIs
Hold the record of most 200+ ODI partnerships (6 times) along with Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting.
Holds the record, shared with Sachin Tendulkar, for most 1st wicket ODI partnerships of 175+ runs (7 times).
Holds the record, shared with Mahendra Singh Dhoni, for the second highest score by an Indian cricketer in an ODI — 183, against Sri Lanka in 1999.
Held the record, shared with Sachin Tendulkar, for the highest first wicket partnership for India in an ODI match, 258, against Kenya in 2001. This record was bettered by Sri Lankan opening pair of Jayasuriya and Tharanga in 2006 at Headingley.
Was involved in the first 300 run ODI partnership with Rahul Dravid.
Sixth on the all time list with 31 man of the match awards.
He is also the only player to win 4 consecutive man of the match awards in ODIs.
India's second most successful ODI captain after Mohammed Azharuddin.[citation needed]
First Indian to score an ODI century against Australia in Australia.
Highest ODI runs scorer in the world (in a calendar year) in 1997,1999,2000.
Third in the list of hitting maximum number of sixes in ODIs.
Second in the list of highest number of centuries in a single calendar year ever. 7 centuries in 2000.
Man of the Series awards

3 Awards in Test cricket
# Series Season Series Performance
1 India in England Test series 1996 315 runs (2 matches, 3 innings, 2x100); 37.5-4-125-6
2 Sri Lanka in India Test series 1997/98 392 Runs (3 Matches, 4 Innings, 2x100, 1x50); 7-4-19-0
3 Pakistan in India Test series 2007 534 runs (3 matches, 6 innings, 1x200, 1x50); 37-10-77-4
7 Awards in ODI cricket
# Series (Opponents) Season Series performance
1 Sahara Friendship Series (Pakistan v/s India in Toronto) 1997 222 runs (5 matches & 5 innings, 2x50); 48.5-8-160-15 (1x5 wicket); 3 catches
2 Pepsi Cup (Pakistan, Sri Lanka) 1998/99 278 runs (5 innings, 1x100, 2x50); 20-0-101-6; 2 catches
3 DMC Cup (West Indies v/s India in Toronto) 1999 89 runs (3 innings, 1x50); 10-1-53-3; 1 catch
4 New Zealand in India ODI tour 1999/00 301 runs (5 innings, 1x100, 1x50); 18-3-95-2; 1 catch
5 Zimbabwe in India ODI tour 2000/01 264 Runs (4 innings, 1x100, 1x50); 12-1-51-5 (1x5 wicket)
6 India in West Indies ODI tour 2002 136 runs (3 innings, 1x50); 3-0-20-0; 2 catches
7 Sri Lanka in India ODI tour 2006/07 168 runs (3 innings, 2x50); 8-0-43-1; 2 catches
Man of the Match awards

6 awards in Test cricket
S No Opponent Venue Season Match Performance
1 England Trent Bridge, Nottingham 1996 1st innings: 136 (17x4, 2x6); 19.5-2.71-3
2nd innings: 48 (8x4)
2 Sri Lanka Wankhede, Mumbai 1997/98 1st innings: 173 (25x4, 2x6); 3-0-19-0
2nd innings: 11 (1x4)
3 Sri Lanka Asgiriya, Kandy 2001 1st innings: 18 (2x4); 17-5-69-2
2nd innings: 98* (15x4); 10-4-21-0
4 Australia Gabba, Brisbane 2003/04 1st innings: 144 (18x4); 1-0-8-0
5 Pakistan Chinnaswamy, Bengaluru 2007 1st innings: 239 (30x4); 10-2-20-1
2nd innings: 91 (12x4)
6 South Africa Green Park, Kanpur 2008 1st innings: 87 (9x4)
2nd innings: 13* (2x4)
31 Awards in ODI