Flashback: The only Indian batsman to score a century in World Cup semi-final
Sourav Ganguly is one of the greatest batsmen and captains to have represented India in international cricket. Presently serving as the president of the BCCI, Ganguly played 113 Test matches and 311 ODIs during his illustrious international career. He scored over 11,000 runs in the 50-over format and more than 7,000 runs in Tests.
During his international career, the legendary batsman created several records and one of them is being the first Indian to score a century in a World Cup semi-final. No other player from India has managed to achieve the feat so far. Ganguly achieved the incredible feat against Kenya in the 2003 World Cup semi-final match at Kingsmead in Durban. The knock helped India win the game by 91 runs and make it to the final of the World Cup for the first time since 1983.
Kenya were the surprise package of that World Cup and India needed to be at their best to see them off. Captain Ganguly rose to the occasion and scored his third century of the tournament to guide the team to the comfortable win. Ganguly won the toss and elected to bat first. The wicket was damp and the outfield soggy because of the rain prior to the match.
The wicket was not the easiest one for batting but India managed to put up a good total of 270 runs in the stipulated 50 overs. Openers Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar put on 74 runs for the first wicket. It was followed by a 103-run partnership between Ganguly and Tendulkar. Steve Tikolo broke the stand when he dismissed Tendulkar for 83.
Ganguly went on to complete a memorable century. He remained unbeaten on 111 off 114 balls. The left-handed batsman’s knock was laced with 5 fours and as many sixes. The 270-run total proved to be more than enough as India bowled out Kenya for just 179 to set up a clash with Australia in the final. Zaheer Khan starred with the ball for India, picking up 3 wickets while Ashish Nehra and Tendulkar picked up 2 each.
The only other batsman from India to score a century in a World Cup knockout game is Rohit Sharma. He scored a ton against Bangladesh in the quarter-final clash of the 2015 World Cup in Australia.
