He is known by different names. Some call him Dada, a few others have named him Price of Bengal and many of his fans call him the King of Comebacks. Cricketing Gurus have named him God of the Off Side for his classy stroke play towards the square of the wicket and through the covers. With this, you might have guessed who we are talking about! Yes, Sourav Ganguly, the birthday boy needs no introduction. Sourav Ganguly is undoubtedly one of the most successful captains produced by Indian cricket. Born on July 8 1972, Ganguly was introduced to the world of cricket by his brother Snehashish. Sourav Ganguly and John Wright Reunite in the Commentary Box During IND vs BAN CWC 2019 Warm-Up Game; Netizens Have a Gala Time Over the Banter (Read Tweets).
The left-hander played cricket for more than a decade but still rules when it comes to records. Currently, he is the 8th highest run scorer in One Day Internationals (ODIs) and was the 3rd batsman in history to cross the 10,000 run landmark, after Sachin Tendulkar and Inzamam Ul Haq. He was dropped from the Indian side a lot of time but made a comeback like a boss. The former Indian captain is now a commentator who is known for his epic comebacks to the jibes taken at him. On his birthday, let’s have a look at 5 times when Ganguly trolled the opponents like a boss!
Ganguly Trolls Pakistani Fans During CWC 2019:
It was during the high profile match between India and Pakistan that happened at the Old Trafford in Manchester that the former Indian captain took a jibe at the poor attendance of the fans from the neighbouring country. Michael Clarke who was alongside Ganguly said, “All I see is blue T-shirts and Indian flags all around the stands and not much green colour.” To that, Ganguly responded saying, “Yeah! Costly tickets may be.”
Even Ravi Shastri knows the hazards of taking a jibe at Ganguly
During the test matches against New Zealand, in 2012 that Ravi Shastri and former Indian captain were discussing the state associations naming players after cricketers. Ravi Shastri took a jibe at Ganguly about the same and the former Indian captain gave him a befitting reply.
Ravi Shastri: “In Eden Gardens, Kolkata, is there a Ganguly pavilion or Ganguly stand?”
Sourav Ganguly: “The ground belongs to Ganguly!”
When Geoffrey Boycott attempted to needle Dada
It was Geoffrey Boycott who attempted to poke fun Dada and got smashed out of the park.
Boycott: “You must mention your experience about taking your jersey off and flying it in the air at the Mecca of Cricket: Lord's! Oh, you naughty boy!”
Ganguly: “One of your boys also took off his jersey here in Mumbai.”
Boycott: “Yeah, but Lord's is the Mecca of cricket.”
Ganguly: “Lord's is your Mecca, and Wankhede is ours!”
Bengal Tiger didn't even spare Rahul Dravid
The Bengal Tiger during one of the commentary stints in England shared the commentary box with his former teammate Rahul Dravid who spoke about Ganguly’s fitness. The Bengal Tiger didn’t spare him as well.
On India-Pakistan Mauka Mauka ad
This incident happened during CWC 2015 where Harsha Bhogle asked him if he had watched the famous Mauka Mauka ad and here’s what Ganguly said.
Harsha: "Have you seen the new 'Mauka Mauka' ad?"
Ganguly: "Yes I have seen that ad and this ad will remain the same for next 10 to 12 years because Pakistan will never beat India in the World Cup."
There have been numerous such instances where Dada has trolled his fellow commentators like a boss. If you remember any such incidents, feel free to contribute below in the comments section. Coming back to Dada’s birthday, Wishing You a Very Very Happy Birthday from the entire team of LatestLY.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 08, 2019 09:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).