International Left Handers Day: Sourav Ganguly reveals why he became a southpaw in batting

International Left Handers Day is annually observed on August 13 to celebrate the uniqueness and differences of the world’s left-handers. Left-handed people comprise 7-10% of the world’s population. International cricket has also been graced with a plethora of left-handers over the years, be it batsmen or bowlers. On the occasion of International Left Handers Day, here is a detailed look at one of India’s most celebrated left-handed batsmen, Sourav Ganguly, and the secrets behind his batting success.

ICC celebrates International Left Handers Day

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International Left Handers Day: Sourav Ganguly on batting left-handed

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly is widely hailed as one of the greatest left-handed batsmen in the world. However, he writes, eats, and, as evidenced from his playing days, bowls right-handed. Interestingly, Sourav Ganguly started out as a right-handed batsman during his younger days. On May 30 this year, during an interaction with some learners in an online class for the Unacademy App, the legendary cricketer revealed why he switched to batting left-handed.

The ‘God of Offside’ stated that as a youngster, he stopped playing cricket for about a couple of months. He later admitted to receiving a call from the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) for a trial run. At the time, Ganguly had no kit, so he decided to use his brother’s kit. The problem? His brother Snehashish was a left-hander. Sourav Ganguly then revealed that in order to adjust to his brother’s kit, he resorted to batting left-handed.

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International Left Handers Day: Sourav Ganguly stats and BCCI presidency  

Since his ODI debut in 1992, Sourav Ganguly went on to enjoy a glorious 16-year journey with Indian cricket. In all, he played 113 Tests and 311 ODIs for the country. The Sourav Ganguly stats section comprises 7,212 Test runs and 11,363 ODIs runs before he announced his retirement in 2008. He scored 38 centuries across all formats and is sixth on the list of all-time international centuries scored by Indians. However, among left-handed Indians, he tops the list by a fair margin.

Coming to Sourav Ganguly's stats in terms of captaincy, India won 21 Tests in 49 matches between 2000 and 2005. In ODIs, he led the ‘Men in Blue’ in 146 matches to register 76 wins.

Even after retirement, Sourav Ganguly has been associated with the game, albeit as a cricket administrator. He is currently serving as the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after he was appointed to the role in October 2019. Previously, Sourav Ganguly was the President of Cricket Association of Bengal between 2015 and 2019.

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Image credits: ICC Twitter