Sourav Ganguly put in a magnificent performance against Pakistan in the 1997 ODI in Toronto as he picked up 5/16, his best figures in a series where he dominated in all aspects.
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Sourav Ganguly had already made a mark for himself in the international arena when he made his Test debut in 1996. Having already made a century on debut at Lord’s, Ganguly had made a great start to his career. But, in 1997, he put on a display of all-round skills that completely blew Pakistan away in the five-match ODI series in Toronto. The two teams had played the first Friendship Series in Toronto in 1996, with Pakistan taking the five-match series 3-2.
Heading into the 1997 series, India had an inexperienced team but they put on a brilliant display. The likes of Debasis Mohanty and Harvinder Singh were making a mark for themselves with the ball. Mohanty was the key in ensuring Saeed Anwar, Pakistan’s star batsman was kept quiet. Harvinder, on the other hand, was an able foil for the new ball. In the first match, the batting of Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja gave India a close 20-run win. In the second match, Ganguly took two wickets and hit 32 as India won by seven wickets.
The third ODI saw the absolute best of Ganguly. In the first match, Pakistan had reached 169/3 but rain ensured that the game was abandoned. A replay of the third ODI took place. In the replay, India was boosted by the likes of Rahul Dravid, Azharuddin, and Robin Singh after a poor start. Dravid and Azharuddin shared a 66-run stand while Robin Singh’s 32 helped India end on 182/6.
For the third straight game, Mohanty got rid of Anwar for 22. But, Shahid Afridi was in fine form and looked good for a fifty. But, Abey Kuruvilla and Harvinder struck at crucial intervals. That opened the path for Ganguly to destroy the Pakistan batting with his bowling. He ran through the middle order, taking the wickets of Ijaz Ahmed, Saleem Malik, Moin Khan, and Hasan Raza.
From 103/3, Pakistan collapsed to 126/8, losing five wickets for 23 runs. Aaqib Javed and Saqlain Mushtaq tried to delay the inevitable. But, Ganguly came back to take his fifth wicket and seal a close 34-run win. This was the first time Ganguly had taken a five-wicket haul in ODIs and India took an unassailable 3-0 lead.
The exploits by Sourav Ganguly saw India win a bilateral series against Pakistan for the first time since 1983. In the fourth ODI, India saw the all-round brilliance of Ganguly come to the fold. He took two wickets for 29 runs in six overs. His wickets included Ramiz Raja and Saleem Malik. But, it was with his bat that he showed his prowess. He blasted 75 and helped India cross the line by seven wickets.
The fifth match also witnessed something brilliant. Ganguly had smashed 96 and was on the verge of scoring a century. But, he missed his ton as he was dismissed by Saqlain Mushtaq. With the ball, Ganguly took two wickets again. Shahid Afridi and Ramiz Raja were his victims as India targeted a whitewash. But, Inzamam-ul-Haq’s 71 ensured Pakistan averted the whitewash as they won by five wickets.
India won the series 4-1 and it was the all-round brilliance of Ganguly that helped them win. He ended up with 222 runs at an average of 55. But, with the ball, Ganguly topped the charts with 15 wickets at a brilliant average of 10.67.
However, the 1997 series was remembered for reasons apart from action on the field. There was an ugly altercation between Inzamam and an Indian fan in one of the ODIs. Angered by constant taunts of ‘Aloo’ and other forms of abuse, Inzamam took a bat and charged towards the stand to hit the fan. He narrowly missed. The ICC did not take any action on the abuse of the fans, while Inzamam was banned for two games.
The ‘Friendship Series’ was being played from a period of 1996 to 1998. In the entire series of 15 matches, Pakistan won 8-7. After India won the series 4-1, Pakistan got their revenge in 1998 when they thrashed India 4-1. However, due to the Kargil War and escalation of political tensions, the 1999 series was India and Pakistan play three ODIs apiece against the West Indies.
Due to the war, the series was canceled and since then, India and Pakistan have not played in Toronto. In the last 21 years, India and Pakistan have played in only five bilateral series, with India winning three of them. But, with tensions still high following the 2008 Mumbai Terror Attacks and the 2016 Uri attack, the chances of a bilateral series remain distant.
