The stylish left hander from Kolkata has impressed the critics and the cricket lovers with his brilliant stroke play. His contribution as an opener in ODIs has been tremendous. The Indian captain, one of the best timers of the ball in the present side, is undoubtedly the most consistent batsman in the current squad after Tendulkar.

He made his debut with a bang. He scored a superb Test century versus England at Lord's in 1996. His ODI debut was against West Indies at Brisbane, World Series, 1991/92.

He is also referred to as 'the golden arm' in the Indian team as his gentle medium pace bowling has given India many crucial breakthroughs in ODIs.

A couple of top performances:

In the Sahara Cup 1997 vs. Pakistan. He was the highest run scorer, took maximum wickets and proved his ability as a medium pace bowler by giving vital breakthroughs.

In the same series he got the maximum number of "Man of the Match" awards in a row, and quite obviously was named "Man of the Series".

Profile:
Born: 08 July 1973, Calcutta
Nickname: Dada / The Prince of Calcutta
Batting Style: Left Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Right Arm Medium

Milestones:

He was appointed the Captain of the Indian cricket team in February, 2000. Made a mammoth 183 against Sri Lanka in World Cup 1999, which, at that time, was the Highest ODI Score by an Indian, beating Kapil Dev's Record of 175*.
Along with Tendulkar forms the 4th Best Opening Pair in the History of One-day cricket. Arjuna Award in 1998. Once his eye is set in, his batting can be a murderous assault on the bowlers and a delight to the spectators. The glorious sixes above the bowler's head are a wonderful sight to watch.

But then Sourav is not just strokes and sixes. He has a sound temperament and the ability to rise to the big occasion.

He is revered in his hometown and enjoys a demi-god like status. But that is the price one has to pay for being a celebrity in India. And Bengal is proud to have such a great player!

In the recent series against Australia, he was criticised by the Aussie media for his off-the-field behaviour. Though India won the Test series and lost the ODI series, his performance, except in the last ODI at Goa, was pathetic. I'd say he's the luckiest captain India ever had. But Sourav will certainly be more transparent than other Indian cricket captains

- J.Vinay