Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly offers prayers at Durga Puja pandal in Howrah
Oct 06, 2024
Howrah (West Bengal) [India], October 6 : Former skipper of the Indian cricket team, Sourav Ganguly, on Sunday offered prayers at a Durga Puja pandal in Howrah.
Many people gathered at the pandal in Howrah to get a glimpse of the former India skipper.
Durga Puja, also known as Durgotsava, is a major Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of Goddess Durga. It symbolises the triumph of good over evil, as Goddess Durga vanquished the demon Mahishasura.
The festival typically lasts 10 days (Navaratri), with the main celebrations occurring during the last four days (Saptami, Ashtami, Navami, and Vijayadashami).
Ganguly was noted for his distinct leadership style throughout his time on the pitch. In the summer of 1996, he made his Test debut against England, earning the nickname 'Dada'. He quickly made headlines after scoring a century in his first Test at Lord's and the 'Prince of Kolkata' then went on to smash a ton in the second Test, becoming the third batter in history to make a hundred in each of his first two innings.
In 2000, the Team India camp got trapped in a match-fixing scandal. Ganguly was then appointed the captain of the side, where he started grooming new talent.
Ganguly led India to the finals of the 2000 ICC Knockout Trophy for the first time. Another Team India milestone came in 2001 when the Ganguly-led side defeated Australia 2-1 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Ganguly is one of the main reasons for the emergence of the idea of day-night Test cricket in India. His efforts paid off as India played its first-ever day-night Test match against Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens in 2019.
He had led India in 195 matches across all formats and managed to win 97 matches out of those. The former skipper then went on to become the President of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) and is a former President of the BCCI.
