Do really these all facts can be ignored???……Just Give a THOUGHT………

Sourav Ganguly put an ends to his rollicking international cricket career after Nagpur test against Australia on 10th Nov 2008. Critics say that it was a CRS – Compulsory Retirement Scheme from BCCI as a consequence of extreme board politics, regionalism and favouritisim. But data never lie which speak volume for Sourav Ganguly.
 Here is a look at the batsman’s resplendent performance over the years:-

• Sourav Ganguly is the seventh Indian cricketer to have played 100 test matches. 
• Dada is the fourth Indian to have played in more than 300 One Day Internationals.  
• Sourav scored nearly 19000 runs in international cricket
• Sourav is currently the 4th highest overall run scorer for India in Tests – with 7212 runs.
• Ganguly became only the third cricketer ever to score a century on debut at Lord's after Harry Graham and John Hampshire  

• In terms of overall runs scored in ODIs, Sourav Ganguly(11363) is the second among Indians after Sachin Tendulkar (who has the highest ODI runs in the world) and the fourth in the world - bettered only by Sachin, Jaysuria and Inzamam –ul-Haque
• Sourav is one of only seven batsmen to score more than 10,000 runs in ODIs. 
• Ganguly is the fourth player to cross 11,000 ODI runs and third player to cross 10,000 ODI runs and so far the fastest in ODI history, after Sachin Tendulkar. 

• Ganguly has 22 centuries in ODIs, in terms of number of centuries in ODIs, he is only behind Sachin Tendulkar, Sanath Jayasuriya and Ricky Ponting. 
• He scored 183 against Sri Lanka at Taunton in the 1999 cricket World Cup, the highest by an Indian in World Cup cricket.
• 18 of the ODI centuries have been in winning causes.

• He also reached 6000, 7000, 8000 and 9000 ODI runs milestones in the fewest number of matches. 

• Ganguly has scored 16 centuries in test matches and 22 in ODIs –total 38 centuries in international cricket.
• Sourav, along with Sachin Tendulkar, formed by far the most successful opening pair in One Day Cricket, having amassed the highest number of century partnerships (26) for the first wicket. Together, they have scored more than 7000 runs at an average of 48.98, now with Sachin he is a world record holder for creating most no. of 50 run partnership in the first wicket(44 fifties). Sourav and Tendulkar were involved in a World Record Opening Partnership   of 252.
   
• He is also one of the 3 players in the world to achieve amazing treble of 10,000 runs, 100 wickets and 100 catches in ODI cricket history, the others being Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya.
• Sourav is the most successful Indian captain –21 tests win in 49 captaincy –beating the next successful by miles, Md Azharuddin -14 win in 47 matches.
• He has captained India in the highest number of Tests (49).
•  He is the only Indian Captain to win both the One Day and Test Series on Pakistani soil- Victory in Pakistan - India's first away from home in 11 years
• He is the only Indian captain to win a Test series in Pakistan.
• First Indian captain to win a one-day series in the West Indies
• First Indian captain to win a series in Zimbabwe tour. Quite surprisingly it was his last stint as captain.
• Under Sourav's stewardship, splendid eight-match winning streak took   Indian team all the way to the World Cup final in 2003 after a long hiatus of  20 odd years
• Ganguly was named Sport Star Person of the Year 1998 and won the Arjuna Award in the same year.
• Sourav was honoured as Asian cricketer and batsman of the year award for his scintillating batting in both form of cricket in 2007.