Behind every icon is a classroom: Can you guess where Sourav Ganguly learnt to lead?

Time of India

08-07-2025

Sourav Ganguly
On July 8, 1972, Kolkata witnessed the birth of a boy who would one day redefine
Indian cricket
's spirit. Sourav Chandidas Ganguly, affectionately called Dada, didn't just emerge as one of India's most iconic captains, he became the architect of its new cricketing identity.
A fearless left-hander with elegance at the crease and steel in his spine, he scored over 11,000 runs in ODIs, captained India to historic triumphs, and ushered in an era of uncompromising leadership. But long before he became the 'Prince of Kolkata' or the 'Maharaja of Indian Cricket', his story began in chalk-dusted classrooms and quiet study halls.
A maharaja in uniform
Born into one of Kolkata's most affluent families, Ganguly was raised in luxury, yet his early life was not all silk and ceremony.
His father, Chandidas Ganguly, ran a successful printing business, and at home, Sourav was nicknamed Maharaj, a title that hinted at grandeur, but also foreshadowed the expectations resting on his shoulders.
He began his formal education at St. Xavier's Collegiate School, one of the city's most distinguished institutions. While other students balanced books and footballs, Sourav's mind quietly gravitated toward cricket, even as his mother hoped he would pursue academics over athletics.
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His passion, however, found a powerful ally in his elder brother Snehasish, a Bengal cricketer, who helped enroll him in a summer coaching camp.
At the time, Sourav was still in school, studying in the tenth standard.
To adapt, he did something remarkable, though right-handed by nature, he trained himself to bat left-handed just so he could use his brother's equipment. It was a subtle act of determination that would one day mirror his approach to captaincy: unconventional, unyielding, and unforgettable.
Where Commerce met character
After school, Ganguly stepped into St. Xavier's College, under the University of Calcutta, choosing to pursue a Bachelor's degree in Commerce. His time at college was more than an academic requirement; it was a quiet shaping of intellect, routine, and resolve. Balancing spreadsheets by day and cover drives by evening, he embodied the rare student-athlete archetype.
What his education truly instilled was not just knowledge, but presence, he learnt to read the game like a textbook, respond to challenges like a strategist, and lead with the poise of someone who had studied not just cricket, but life.
When academia honoured the athlete
Decades later, long after he had turned stadiums into his classroom and taught a generation to never back down, the Bengal Engineering and Science University (now IIEST Shibpur) honoured him with an honorary Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) in 2014. It wasn't merely a ceremonial title; it was academia acknowledging the intellect behind the innings, the leadership behind the laurels.
Beyond the syllabus
Ganguly's education extended far beyond lecture halls.
His real curriculum involved team dynamics, boardroom negotiations, and on-field adversity. As captain, he mentored rising stars, navigated controversies, and handled press room pressure with the same calm he showed at the crease. He taught India to stare down giants, to win abroad, and to believe in itself.
Whether making debut centuries at Lord's or rebuilding Indian cricket post-scandal, he applied lessons of patience, poise, and perseverance, qualities no textbook could fully teach, but which his life quietly absorbed.
A legacy still unfolding
Today, as Sourav Ganguly celebrates another year of an extraordinary life, we remember not just the sixes and the centuries, but the scholar within the sportsman. The boy who once adjusted his grip to borrow his brother's bat went on to grip the future of Indian cricket with unmatched vision.
His journey is proof that education does not end with a degree, it evolves into how you think, how you lead, and how you rise.
Happy Birthday, Dada.
You didn't just rewrite the rules of Indian cricket, you redefined what it means to learn, lead, and leave a legacy.
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