New Delhi, July 8 (IANS) On the day he turns 54, former Indi captain Sourav Ganguly expressed his deep gratitude on being named as the latest inductee into the prestigious ICC Hall of Fame, describing it as a ‘huge honour’ to be in the list alongside some of the most amazing names in the game.

Ganguly, currently heading the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), is set to become the 12th Indian overall and the 10th Indian men’s cricketer to receive this ultimate cricketing recognition.

“Thank you ICC and Chairman Jay shah @JayShah for inducting me in the hall of fame .. it’s a huge honour ..One of the 10 Indians to be inducted in the hall of fame ever .. Amazing to be a part of some great names .. @bcci,” Ganguly posted on his ‘X’ account on Thursday.

One of the finest ODI batters ever, Ganguly amassed 11,363 runs in 311 ODIs with 22 centuries and also picked 132 wickets, alongside making 7,212 runs in 113 Tests. After his playing days were over, Ganguly served as BCCI President, especially through the Covid-19 pandemic. He is also the head coach of Pretoria Capitals in SA20, apart from being the Director of Cricket at Delhi Capitals in IPL and WPL.

Affectionately known as the ‘God of the off-side’, Ganguly took the captaincy of the Indian team in 2000 during a tumultuous match-fixing crisis and completely transformed its identity.

He instilled a fierce winning mentality, particularly on foreign soil, leading India to the 2002 NatWest Trophy triumph, becoming joint winner of 2002 Champions Trophy, the 2003 ODI World Cup final, and a historic Test series win in Pakistan in 2004, apart from leading the side to an epic 2001 Test match victory over Australia at his home ground, Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is expected to make the formal announcement on July 11 at the conclusion of its annual conference in Edinburgh. Previous Indians inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame are Bishan Singh Bedi (2009), Sunil Gavaskar (2009), Kapil Dev (2010), Anil Kumble (2015), Rahul Dravid (2018), Sachin Tendulkar (2019), Vinoo Mankad (2021), Diana Edulji (2023), Virender Sehwag (2023), Neetu David (2024) and MS Dhoni (2025).

–IANS

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