3 min readJul 8, 2026 09:14 PM IST
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly who was celebrating his 54th birthday on Wednesday, was inducted into the International Cricket Council (ICC) Hall of Fame on the same day. Ganguly himself broke the news on his X account, thanking ICC and chairman Jay Shah.
“Thank you ICC and Chairman Jay shah @JayShah for inducting me in the hall of fame .. it’s a huge honour ..One of the 10 Indians to be inducted in the hall of fame ever .. Amazing to be a part of some great names .. @bcci,” Ganguly posted.
Ganguly is the 12th Indian overall and the 10th men’s cricketer to have received this honour. The other 9 men’s players are Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Kapil Dev, Virender Sehwag, Vinoo Mankad, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Sunil Gavaskar and Bishan Singh Bedi.
The ICC Hall of Fame was launched in January 2009 as part of the ICC’s centenary celebrations and has since celebrated the greatest players to have graced the game.
Thank you ICC and Chairman Jay shah @JayShah for inducting me in the hall of fame .. it’s a huge honour ..One of the 10 Indians to be inducted in the hall of fame ever .. Amazing to be a part of some great names .. @bcci
— Sourav Ganguly (@SGanguly99) July 8, 2026
Ganguly took over the captaincy during one of the most turbulent phases in Indian cricket. The left-handed batter transformed the team’s mindset, instilling aggression, self-belief and the confidence to compete overseas.
Known as the “God of Offside” for his elegant strokeplay through the cover region, Ganguly amassed 18,575 international runs in 424 matches, including 38 centuries and 107 half-centuries. He scored 7,212 runs in 113 Tests and 11,363 runs in 311 One-Day Internationals, making him one of India’s greatest batters across formats.
As captain, Ganguly led India in 196 international matches, winning 97. His tenure featured several landmark achievements, including the famous 2001 Border-Gavaskar Trophy triumph over Steve Waugh’s all-conquering Australia, India’s maiden Test series victory in Pakistan in 2004, and appearances in the finals of the 2000 ICC KnockOut Trophy and the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Equally significant was his role in nurturing a generation of cricketers who would shape Indian cricket for years to come. Ganguly placed his faith in young talents such as MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Irfan Pathan, Gautam Gambhir and Sehwag himself, many of whom went on to become match-winners and key figures in India’s ICC title-winning campaigns.
(With agency inputs)
