Ranbir Kapoor as Sourav Ganguly? 5 iconic moments we want to see in the biopic

Buzz is strong that Ranbir Kapoor has been roped in to play Indian cricket icon Sourav Ganguly in his biopic. From his iconic ‘Baapi baari jaa’ (denoting his huge sixes) to being the chief of BCCI, Ganguly's cricketing career has always been a glorious mix of aggression, grit and sensibility and you can’t just deny the ageless charisma Dada enjoys. That’s why there’s such frenzy surrounding his biopic. While we eagerly wait for more updates about the film here’s taking a look at some of the iconic moments from Sourav Ganguly’s career which we would love to see in his biopic.

Report: Ranbir Kapoor almost confirmed for Sourav Ganguly biopic, shoot to begin soon in Kolkata

Captain Sourav Ganguly proved to be the thorn in Australian captain Steve Waugh’s flesh not on one but on two occasions. First, he had stopped the invincible Australian side which was on a 16 test match winning streak in Kolkata’s Eden Gardens and then ruined Waugh’s retirement party in the 2004-05 series. Just imagine Ranbir leading Team India onscreen and reliving those golden days!

Making his debut at 24 in 1996, Ganguly at Lords stunned the cricket world becoming the first Indian and the third cricketer in the history to score a century on debut at the Mecca of cricket. India had lost its first wicket at a mere 25. Then entered the debutant who was desperate to prove a point and the rest is history. He hit 131 against a considerable English assault including Dominic Cork, Allan Mullally, Peter Martin, and Chris Lewis. The match ended in a draw but a young warrior Sourav proved his mettle.

Just imagine Ranbir playing Ganguly on screen and relive the NatWest moment! The NatWest Series victory was a crescendo point. It was not just a moment when Dada had taken off his shirt at Lord’s balcony. We see Lord’s as the Mecca of cricket. But like an English cricketer has the right to take off his shirt in celebration at Wankhede in Mumbai, why can’t an Indian do the same in Lord’s? That time, Syed Kirmani and many other former cricketers had slammed Sourav Ganguly. But this one single act had led to many positive results to Indian cricket later. The confidence the cricketers achieved was clearly visible when Dhoni hit the last ball six to win the 2011 World Cup. Many believe Dada’s act as arrogance in 2002, but Indian cricketers had gained the confidence and flair from him.

Even after being stripped off captaincy and dropped from the team Dada didn’t surrender, rather he returned like a true champion. He played a few domestic matches scoring crucial runs and persuaded the selectors, that he deserved a spot in the Indian team. In 2006, Ganguly was picked for the South Africa tour and he repaid the faith shown to him by scoring a gritty 51 in the first Test against a ruthless South African bowling attack including Shaun Pollock, Makhaya Ntini, Dale Steyn, Jacques Kallis and Andre Nel at the Wanderers. India eventually won the Test against the mighty Proteas. Fans would surely want to go down memory lane with Ranbir doing the job for Dada.

We can forget that Taunton storm in 2003? Sourav hammered a fierce 183 off 158 balls against Sri Lanka in a World Cup match at Taunton. His runs indeed came against a quality attack including Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan. The 183-run innings had 17 fours and seven sixes. Ganguly – along with Rahul Dravid put on a staggering 318-run partnership to assist India with posting a total of 373/6. Now, who wants to see Ranbir doing the ‘Bapi Bari Jaa’ thing on the silver screen?