Sourav Ganguly scored a century on his Test debut on this day at Lord's, while Rahul Dravid missed the three-figure mark by five runs.
On this day in 1996, Sourav Ganguly slammed his first century in his debut Test against England in Lord's. Rahul Dravid, who also made his debut alongside the left-hander, missed his century by five runs but rescued India alongside Ganguly after the side had a shaky start to their first innings.
When no other player could cross the fifty-run mark in the batting lineup, Ganguly and Dravid put on a gritty shift as they took India to a strong total of 429. While Ganguly made 131, Dravid scored 95 off 267 deliveries.
Dravid also formed important partnerships with lower-order batsmen like Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath.
The duo would eventually go on to captain India in different timelines and solidify their place as two of the greatest Indian cricketers in history. Under Ganguly's reign as captain, India ended Australia's record unbeaten-run in 2001 when they defeated the side 2-1 in the home Test series. In the next year, India would go on to lift the Champions Trophy with Sri Lanka as joint-winners.
Ganguly also led the side to a memorable victory in the 2002 NatWest Series, before taking India to the final of the 2003 World Cup. After the loss of form and eventual feud with coach Greg Chappell, Ganguly lost his place in the side towards the end of 2005. However, he made a strong comeback in 2007 in both the formats. (ALSO READ: On this day: Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid make grand entrance to Test cricket)
Ganguly is the eighth-highest run-getter in ODIs and was the third batsman to cross the 10,000-run mark in ODIs, after Sachin Tendulkar and Inzamam-ul-Haq. The former Indian captain represented India in 311 ODIs and 113 Test matches, scoring 11,363 and 7,212 runs respectively. Since his retirement, the former Indian captain has entered cricket administration. Ganguly is currently the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Rahul Dravid, meanwhile, is widely regarded as one of the best Test batsmen of his era. Majorly known for his brilliant technique and awe-inspiring grit, Dravid rescued India from many difficult situations throughout his career. Having played 164 Tests, Dravid scored 13,288 runs at an average of 52.3. He crossed the 10,000-run mark in ODIs too, playing 344 of them for the side.
