Sourav Ganguly : Only player to win four consecutive Man of the Match awards in ODIs

In the second one day Sourav Ganguly has taken 2 wickets for 16 runs in 9 overs with two maidens. India restricted Pakistan at 116 runs and then achieved the target in 34.4 overs.

Sourav Ganguly performed with the bat as well and made 32 runs in this match. Ganguly was he was the man of the match for his all round performance.

India displayed exceptional bowling and fielding in favorable conditions, successfully dismissing Pakistan’s team for a score of 116.

Mohanty’s exceptional performance resulted in the dismissal of the first three wickets, while only conceding 15 runs from 7 overs. The two Singh’s and Ganguly effectively prevented any chance of recovery for Pakistan’s team, despite Salim Malik’s impressive 36 runs. With Ganguly’s skilled leadership, India easily secured victory in the match.

This was the official 3rd match because 3rd match was already abandoned due to rain. India found themselves at a disadvantage when they were required to bat first on a pitch that favored the bowlers, ultimately scoring only 182 for 6. India’s score was a significant improvement from their previous score of 23 for 3, after Tendulkar was dismissed for nought in the 12th over. Azharuddin navigated the challenging conditions effectively, while Jadeja and Robin Singh provided a late boost to India’s score with their respective 32 and 29 runs off balls.

Pakistan appeared to have the upper hand in the match as Shahid Afridi scored 44 runs off 38 balls, including six fours. However, a lack of focus led to poor decision making, resulting in all ten of Pakistan’s wickets being taken by catches. Ganguly was particularly effective, claiming five wickets for 16 runs.

This match was also affected by rain. Pakistan made 159 runs for 6 to get in there allotment 28 overs.

Once more, Ganguly played a dominant role in a tense match that was shortened due to poor field conditions caused by heavy rain. He utilized his medium-pace swing bowling to restrict Pakistan’s score to 159 for 6. He then opened India’s batting and remained till the end of the match with three balls remaining.

This was a result of a reduction in their allocation due to slow over-rate. Ganguly’s 75 runs, scored at a rate of one run per ball, included one six and eight fours, he also made a decisive partnership of 108 runs off 106 balls with Jadeja.

As India closed in on the victory, Pakistan seemed to be overwhelmed by the tension and cold weather as the temperature dropped to 12 degrees Celsius. Moin Khan missed a stumping opportunity off of Jadeja, Mohammad Akram converted a catch off Ganguly into a six by stepping over the boundary, and three run-out opportunities were missed.

Though India lost this match, Sourav Ganguly was awarded the man of the match for this match as well for his brilliant performance of 96 runs and two wickets for 33 runs.

Finally, in bright sunshine and on a good pitch, batsmen had the opportunity to showcase their skills. Tendulkar and Ganguly had a successful partnership, scoring 98 runs together. Ganguly and Azharuddin then added another 104 runs to their team’s score.

Azharuddin scored his third half century, but Ganguly fell short of reaching his century, being caught at deep extra cover after hitting two sixes and five fours.