The mention of Sourav Ganguly often brings to mind the unforgettable incident involving his iconic Ganguly Lords t-shirt. The image of Ganguly with his shirt open has left a lasting impression on countless cricket enthusiasts. In the years following the incident, Ganguly, the former captain of the Indian cricket team, finally unveiled the reason behind this unique celebration.
Delirium following victory
The Sourav Ganguly Lord's incident took place during the NatWest tri-series final in 2002. It was a response to the remarkable recovery made by the Indian team from a precarious situation, ultimately leading them to victory.
India found themselves in a difficult position, with the score at 146 for 5 after star batsman Sachin Tendulkar had been dismissed. The team appeared to be on the verge of defeat while chasing England's formidable total of 325.
Although India had started the innings strongly, reaching 100 runs within 15 overs, they soon found themselves in trouble with five wickets down. However, the young duo of Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif formed a historic partnership, guiding India to a thrilling victory in the final over of the match.
The overwhelming joy of the unexpected triumph triggered the Sourav Ganguly Lord's incident, captured by the camera showing Ganguly celebrating wildly while holding his shirt. This incident has remained etched in the memories of all cricket enthusiasts.
Dravid swoops in to prevent further escalation
Ganguly later disclosed in an interview that even Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh were inclined to join in the celebration, but Rahul Dravid intervened just in time to prevent them.
The former Indian captain has recounted the Sourav Ganguly shirt open incident on multiple occasions. He revealed that it was inspired by England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, who had done something similar earlier that year.
Incident stemmed from Flintoff's instigation
Ganguly referred to the incident when Flintoff jubilantly removed his shirt and ran onto the pitch to celebrate an England victory at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium. This action had caused considerable embarrassment to many Indians, as it occurred only a few months prior to the Ganguly Lords t-shirt incident, when England had leveled the 6-match ODI series 3-3 in India.
Ganguly has shared numerous memories related to the Ganguly Lords t-shirt incident. During the launch of his autobiography, he revealed how his teammates reacted to his actions. Ganguly mentioned that while he was trying to remove his shirt, not only Dravid but also VVS Laxman attempted to prevent him by pulling his shirt down.
Perhaps wont do that again
In various interviews, Ganguly has expressed some regrets about the shirt open incident, even though it remains one of the most iconic moments in Indian cricket history.
He admitted that he would not repeat the gesture and revealed that his daughter now questions him about it, which he finds embarrassing. Ganguly explained that he removed his shirt in the heat of the moment, driven by sheer happiness at witnessing his team's victory.
