Sourav Ganguly, the Prince of Kolkata, is admired by the world of cricket for his aggressive approach on the field. Be it captaincy or smashing bowlers for sixes, Ganguly always followed his attacking fundamental. In 1997, Ganguly played a subservient role at Sharjah, and the knock was sublime. In that match against Zimbabwe, legend Sachin Tendulkar delivered another masterclass.
When Ganguly and Tendulkar were tormenting the bowlers of the African nation, two of the best personalities with the mic, Michael Holding and Tony Greig were translating the literature of the night to the Indian cricket fans from the Sharjah. When facing Zimbabwean legend Grant Flower, Ganguly blasted three massive sixes and panned the camera towards him.
They could have been called Ganguly roof – Tony Greig
Tony Greig, who was behind the mic, reiterated the whole incident in his trademark style. Greig said that the roof should be named after Sourav Ganguly as every ball seemed to land over there.
Admiring Ganguly’s sixes, Greig named Sharjah’s roof after Sourav Ganguly that time. “That’s it. That’s another one. It’s a biggie! He loves that roof! He loves that roof. That’s three on the roof, three lost balls. That could’ve been called Ganguly’s roof,” Greig said on-air while praising Ganguly’s six-hitting spree.
Sourav Ganguly and his men were invited to chase a total of 197 in the final of the triangular series. While Tendulkar was taking on the bowlers, Ganguly joined his partner and charged on Alistair Campbell’s side. The duo formed the base of the chase.
The BCCI chief racked up 63* off 90 balls and Tendulkar scored an unbeaten 124 from 92 deliveries. The unbeaten partners led India to a blistering 10 wicket win over Zimbabwe. Tendulkar received the Player of The Match award and also bagged the Player of The Series award for his heroics.
Sourav Ganguly-Sachin Tendulkar duo has been the partner in crime for India. They have opened for India in 136 One Day Internationals amassing 6609 runs. They had stitched 21 century stands with the highest stand for 258 runs. Their partnership set an example for modern-day cricket. The dynamics did not change even when they stopped opening the innings.
