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On this day: Sourav Ganguly became first Indian to score century in WC knockout game
It was on March 20, 2003, when former skipper Sourav Ganguly became the first Indian batsman to score a century in a knock-out match of the World Cup.
New Delhi: It was on March 20, 2003, when former skipper Sourav Ganguly became the first Indian batsman to score a century in a knock-out match of the World Cup.
He achieved the feat against Kenya in the 2003 World Cup semi-final match at Kingsmead in Durban. In the match, India won the toss and elected to bat first. Openers Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar put on 74 runs for the first wicket.
However, Sehwag (33) got out in the 19th over, and it was then, that Ganguly came out to bat. Ganguly and Tendulkar put on 103 runs for the second wicket. The Master Blaster was dismissed for 83, but the Prince of Kolkata went on to score 111 runs with the help of five fours and five sixes.
India's made 270/4 in the allotted fifty overs and then bowled out Kenya for 179 to progress to the finals of the tournament. In the summit-clash, India lost to Australia at Johannesburg.
Rohit Sharma is the only other Indian batsman to score a century in a World Cup knockout game. He scored a ton against Bangladesh in the quarter-final clash of the 2015 World Cup in Australia. Ganguly called time on his career in 2008 as he played his last Test against Australia at Nagpur.
The former skipper ended his career with 7212 runs in the longest format, while in ODIs, he registered 11,363 runs.Currently, Ganguly is the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). (ANI)