So far, 11 Indian cricketers have been inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame, with the former Indian captain MS Dhoni being the latest entrant to the list. Legends like Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, and Virender Sehwag were honored by being inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.

At the same time, there are some legendary cricketers, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, Dilip Vengsarkar, and Yuvraj Singh are being overlooked for this remarkable feat. However, Sourav Ganguly is one such famous cricketer who deserves an induction into the ICC’s hall of fame for his renowned legacy.

It is to be noted that Ganguly, as a former captain, revolutionized Indian cricket in tests and ODIs. Under his captaincy, players like Yuvraj, Dhoni, and Harbhajan Singh went on to become star cricketers.

Also, Team India under his leadership concluded as the joint-winners of the Champions Trophy 2002 alongside Sri Lanka and the runner-up of 2003.

But one common question that many cricket fans have been asking: Why has Sourav Ganguly not been inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame?

Before knowing the possible reasons, let’s find out the eligibility criteria a cricketer must possess to be honored with this exceptional accolade by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Eligibility Criteria to Get Inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame

The concept of the ICC Hall of Fame was introduced on 2nd January 2009. Since then, cricketers who made noteworthy contributions to the sport throughout their international cricket career have been honored every year.

To be eligible, a player must fulfill these criteria, which include:

• Retirement From All Formats of International Cricket: 5 Years or More.
  
• Abilities: Excellent skills, sportsmanship, maintaining fair-play on the field, and influencing the game on a long-term basis.
  
• Batsman Eligibility: 
  • 8,000 runs or more and have 20 centuries to their name in any of the two formats (ODIs and Tests).
  • 50+ Batting Average in any of the formats (tests or ODIs).
    
• Bowler Eligibility:
  • 200 wickets or more in either of the formats (ODIs or Tests)
  • Strike rate below 50 in tests and 30 in ODIs.

• Captain’s Eligibility:
  •  Should have led their team in at least 100 ODIs (and /or) 50 test matches.
  •  Success rate of 50% or more in any one of the formats or both.
    
• Wicketkeeper Eligibility: 200 dismissals or more in any of the two formats (Tests or ODIs).

Does Sourav Ganguly Fulfill the Eligibility Criteria To Enter the ICC Hall of Fame?

Sourav Ganguly has fulfilled the eligibility criteria to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame:

• More than 5 Years of Retirement: The Nagpur test against Australia in November 2008 was the last international match Sourav Ganguly played in his career. So, the former Indian captain fulfills the 5-year retirement criteria. This is because he made his last international appearance 16 years ago. And Ganguly should have been inducted after 2014.
  
• Captaincy: As an ODI captain, Ganguly led India to 76 wins out of 147 matches and holds a winning percentage of 51.70%. However, in tests, his success rate is 42.86% (below 50), having led his team to 21 wins, 13 losses, and 15 draws out of 49 tests. Nevertheless, “Dada” is still eligible as he holds a success rate of above 50 in either of the formats.
  
• Runs in International Cricket: As a talented batsman, Ganguly scored 18,575 international runs (11,363 runs in ODIs and 7,212 runs in tests). Therefore, he exceeded the minimum criteria for a batsman to score 8,000 runs in international cricket to get inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.
  
• More than 20 centuries in any of the formats: Ganguly achieved 38 international centuries (ODIs: 22, and Tests: 16) to his name. So, once again, the left-handed batter surpassed the minimum criteria of scoring 20 centuries in one of the two major formats.

Possible Reasons Why Sourav Ganguly Wasn’t Inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame

Although Sourav Ganguly has fulfilled a majority of the criteria, there might be a few reasons to overlook his induction into the ICC Hall of Fame:

1. Batting Average Below 50: Ganguly’s batting average in tests (42.18) and ODIs (40.73) is less than the minimum criteria of 50. Possibly, this could be one of the main reasons to reject his induction.
   
2. Controversies with Dual Role: During Sourav Ganguly’s tenure as the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), he took the responsibility as Delhi Capitals mentor in 2019. There were allegations about his performance in dual role as the cricket state board president and IPL team mentor, thereby pointing out the former BCCI president’s conflict of interest.
   
3. Selection Waiting List: In recent times, the ICC has inducted only a handful of players every year. There is a long list of deserving candidates across different nations. Therefore, some legends like Sourav Ganguly have to wait for years compared to other great cricketers to get honored for their incredible achievements.
   
   For example, Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni were inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2019 and 2025, respectively. This is exactly 6 years after their retirement.

In comparison, the former legendary cricketer Vinoo Mankad, who played his last test match for India back in February 1959, was inducted into the elite list only in 2021, despite the hall of fame concept being inaugurated in 2009.

Overall Verdict

So far, the official reason for avoiding Ganguly’s induction into ICC Hall of Fame hasn’t been revealed so far. Still fans hope that the India’s one of the most successful captains gets honored by the global cricketing body in the forthcoming years.