Few men have made Kolkata prouder on the cricket field than Sourav Ganguly. During his illustrious career, the ‘god of the off side’ notched up 16 Test centuries. But one of the most special ones was his maiden ton at Eden Gardens, after his comeback to the Indian Test team. What made it even more significant was that it came in 2007, a year before Ganguly retired and 15 years after he made his international debut.
That this knock was special to him too was proven today, when the legendary batter and current BCCI president took to Instagram to share an iconic photo of the knock, which proudly adorns a wall inside the stadium.
The century, which was Ganguly's only international ton at his home ground, came in the second Test match of the 2007 bilateral series against Pakistan. On that fateful day (November 30), Ganguly scored 102 off 156 balls, guiding India to a commanding position with his elegant strokes. He had later admitted that one of his biggest fears was bowing out from the game without scoring a ton at Eden.
A few years ago, when Ravi Shastri asked Sourav Ganguly why he didn’t have a stand named after him at Eden Gardens, Dada had famously replied, ‘The entire stadium belongs to me Ravi.’
The brilliance he exhibited that day is a testament to this and remains etched in the memories of cricket fans almost 15 later.