Published on: Jul 8, 2026 5:48 pm IST|Updated on: Jul 8, 2026 5:48 pm IST
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has decided to bestow former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly with the ICC Hall of Fame accolade, an elite club reserved exclusively for individuals who left an indelible, generational mark on the sport. He becomes only the 10th Indian male cricketer to achieve this feat. Popularly hailed as the “Prince of Kolkata” or simply “Dada,” Ganguly’s imminent induction recognizes not just his staggering run-scoring feats but also his revolutionary impact as the architect of modern, fearless Indian cricket.
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When Ganguly took over the captaincy in the year 2000, Indian cricket was reeling from a severe crisis of faith due to the match-fixing scandal. The team was notorious for being “lions at home, lambs abroad,” virtually unbeatable on turning subcontinental tracks but easily intimidated on fast, bouncy overseas pitches.
Ganguly completely transformed that soft-spoken identity. He injected a sense of aggression, instilled supreme self-belief, and taught his side to stare back at opposition teams. Whether it was blooding future legends like Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, and MS Dhoni, or his iconic, shirt-waving celebration on the Lord’s balcony after the 2002 NatWest Series final, Dada rewrote the psychological framework of Indian sportsmanship.
Under his direct leadership, India broke Australia’s historic 16-match Test winning streak in 2001, reached the final of the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup, and famously drew a Test series in Australia before defeating Pakistan in their own backyard in 2004.
Before Ganguly, 9 other Indian male cricketers and two female cricketers got the privilege of getting inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. Take a look.
Beyond his leadership, Ganguly was one of the most watchable and destructive left-handed batsmen the world has ever seen. His unmatched ability to step down the track to spinners and pierce tight fields on the off-side prompted his legendary teammate Rahul Dravid to famously coin the phrase: “On the off-side, first there is God, then there is Sourav Ganguly.”
He became the third batsman in cricket history to cross the 10,000-run milestone in One Day Internationals, following Sachin Tendulkar and Inzamam-ul-Haq. His opening partnership with Tendulkar remains the most successful in the history of ODI cricket, yielding 8,227 runs together at the top of the order.
Ganguly retired from international duty in 2008, leaving behind a legacy as a warrior who saved Indian cricket in its darkest hour. He later transitioned into sports administration, serving as the President of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) and eventually the 35th President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He currently serves as the Head of Cricket for the Delhi Capitals franchise in the IPL and also is the head coach of the Delhi Capitals’ sister franchise in the SA20 League, the Pretoria Capitals. His entry into the ICC Hall of Fame is a long-awaited acknowledgment of a spectacular career.