Sourav Chandidas Ganguly

Profile:

His batting is the perfect blend of elegance and power. He has all the traditional style that goes with left-handed batsmanship. With superb timing he almost caresses the ball to the boundary. But when the mood gets to him - particularly in the one-day game - his batting can be a murderous assault on the bowlers and a delight to the spectators. The manner in which he steps out and pounces on the ball, like a tiger on a hapless prey, is something to be enjoyed on the spot.

But then Sourav Ganguly is not just strokes and class and powerful batting. He has a sound temperament and the ability to rise to the big occasion. Only a person who is mentally strong could have responded in the manner he did to widespread criticism to his selection for the tour of England in 1996. When he first went as a teenager to Australia in 1991-92, he was far from ready for the big time despite his manifold gifts.

By the time he made his comeback, though, a mixture of talent and hard work had made Ganguly capable of the dream feat with which he launched his Test career. Since then, it has been impossible to envisage an Indian team in both forms of the game without him. His success in the recent Test series against the West Indies saw him finally address the one major flaw that had been plaguing his batting - his suspect technique against the short ball. On the strength of his figures and undoubted class, he has taken his place as among the `Big Three' of the Indian batting order. Few would deny him his place as probably the greatest Indian left-hander of all time. As a captain too he has come into his own. With four away Test wins, he now stands as India's most successful overseas captain. All that remains to be achieved is a Test series win overseas and if that arrives in the upcoming series against England, Ganguly would truly have made his tryst with cricketing immortality