5 highest ODI scores of Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly is one of the most successful Indian captains of all-time. He is the only cricketer to have won four consecutive Man of the Match awards in One Day Internationals. He is also widely called as 'The God of Offside' for his ability to hit sixes on offside with ease.

Ganguly featured in 311 ODIs for India and scored 11363 runs including 22 centuries and 72 half-centuries at an average of 41.02. He is also a recipient of the most prestigious Arjuna award, presented to Indian sportspersons with outstanding achievements.

He captained India in 147 ODIs with a win percentage of 51.7. We take a look at five of his highest scoring innings in ODIs.

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#5 141 vs Pakistan, Adelaide, 2000

Ganguly's 141 helped India defeat arch-rivals

In the tri-series in Australia, India were up against Pakistan at Adelaide. Ganguly won the toss and chose to bat first. The veteran duo of Sachin and Ganguly added 88 for the first wicket before Sachin was sent back to the pavilion by Abdul Razzaq for 41. Ganguly played a scintillating knock and scored 141 off 144 runs with 12 fours and a six at a strike rate of 97.92. India scored 267-6 in 50 overs.

In return, Pakistan could only score 219 before they were bundled out in 44.4 overs. Anil Kumble ripped through the batting lineup with 4/40 in 9.4 overs. Srinath, Mohanty and Venkatesh Prasad picked up 2 wickets each.

India won by 48 runs and Ganguly was presented the Man of the Match for his match-winning knock that helped India defeat the arch-rivals.

#4 141* vs South Africa, Nairobi, 2000

Ganguly's 141 secured a final berth for India

In the ICC Knock Out Cup in 2000, India were pitted against South Africa in a semi-final showdown. Ganguly won the toss and chose to bat first. The Sachin-Ganguly duo added 66 for the opening wicket before the former got dismissed. Ganguly then stitched key partnerships with Dravid and Yuvraj to lift India to 295-6 in 50 overs. The Indian skipper scored 141 off 142 deliveries accompanied by 11 fours and 6 sixes at a strike rate of 99.30.

In reply, South Africa only managed to score 200 before they got bundled-out in 41 overs. Mark Boucher was the top-scorer for South Africa with 60 off 77. Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan both picked up two wickets.

With this loss, India earned a trip to the finals against New Zealand. Ganguly won the Man of the Match award for his terrific knock that helped India post a competitive total.

#3 144 vs Zimbabwe, Ahmedabad, 2000

Ganguly exploded for 144 against Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe toured India for a 5-matches ODI series. After losing the first match, Zimbabwe were looking to come back into the series by registering a win in the second ODI. India won the toss and chose to bat first. Sachin Tendulkar was sent back to the pavilion by Travis Friend for just 8 off 20. Ganguly once again came to the rescue and exploded for 144 off 152 balls with 8 fours and 6 sixes. India scored 306-5 in 50 overs.

Chasing a target of 307, Zimbabwe lost wickets in quick succession and only managed to score 245-8 in 50 overs. S Sriram was the pick of the bowlers for India with 3/47 in 8 overs.

Ganguly was awarded the Man of the Match award for his match-winning knock. Later, India won the series 4-1 and Ganguly went on to win the Man of the Series for scoring 264 runs at an average of 88.0.

#2 153* vs New Zealand, Gwalior, 1999

Ganguly smashed 153 against New Zealand

New Zealand visited India for a 5-matches ODI series in 1999. The series was tied at one apiece after two ODIs. In the third ODI, the hosts won the toss and chose to bat first. Sachin had an innings to forget as he was out for 1 off 23. Although India kept losing wickets in quick succession, Ganguly at the other end kept scoring runs at quick-pace and ended up scoring 153 off 150 balls with 18 fours and 3 sixes. India posted a score of 261-5 in 50 overs.

The visitors fell short by 14 runs in their chase in 50 overs. Nathan Astle top-scored for the Kiwis scoring 97 off 111. Nikhil Chopra was the pick of the bowlers for India with 3/32 in 9 overs.

Sourav Ganguly was rightly adjudged the Man of the Match for his quick-fire 153 that helped India gain a 2-1 lead in the 5-matches series.

#1 183 vs Sri Lanka, Taunton, 1999

Ganguly's 183 is the highest score by an Indian in the World Cup

In the 1999 Cricket World Cup, India had some tough losses against Zimbabwe and South Africa. They then won against Kenya in which Sachin and Dravid scored centuries. In their 4th match of the prestigious tournament, India were up against Sri Lanka. After winning the toss, Ranatunga chose to bowl first. India lost an early wicket with only 6 runs on the scoreboard.

Dravid who came in at No.3, stitched a game-winning 318-runs partnership with Sourav Ganguly, with the latter exploding for 183 off 158, accompanied by 17 fours and 7 sixes at a staggering strike-rate of 115.82. Dravid scored 145 off 129 with 17 fours and a six. India posted a total of 373-6 in 6 wickets because of the duo.

In reply, Sri Lanka were bundled out for just 216 runs. Robin Singh was the pick of the bowlers with 5/31 in 9.3 overs. Aravinda De Silva was the top-scorer for Sri Lanka with 56. Sourav Ganguly was awarded the Man of the Match for the highest score by an Indian in the World Cup, a record that still stands tall today.