On This Day in Cricket - July 8

The day of July 8 has been a witness to a series of cricketing events as in 1972, the Prince of the Indian team, Sourav Chandidas Ganguly was born who introduced the word “aggressive” to the Indian Cricket team. In 2021, the England team defeated the Pakistan team by 9 wickets in the first ODI of the series. In 2018, Rohit Sharma’s century in the 3rd T20I match of the series allowed India to defeat England by 7 wickets and finally claim the series by 2-1 under the captaincy of Virat Kohli.

On This Day - July 8, 1972 - Sourav Chandidas Ganguly was Born Today

The man who changed the dynamics of the Indian Cricket Team with his aggression and passion, Sourav Chandidas Ganguly was born on 8th July, 1972 in Calcutta (now Kolkata), Bengal. Being the captain of the Indian team, he managed to do well, and in his test career, he played 113 test matches for the team and scored 7212 runs at an average of 42.17 and a strike rate of 51.25 while claiming 16 centuries and 35 half-centuries.

(Sourav Chandidas Ganguly was born on 8th July, 1972 in Calcutta (now Kolkata))

Being a bowler in the same format, he went on to pick a total of 32 wickets at an average of 52.53 and an economy rate of 3.23 for the team. In the ODI Format, Ganguly went on to play a total of 311 matches and was able to score 11363 runs at an average of 41.02 and a strike rate of 73.70 while scoring 22 centuries and 72 half-centuries for the team.

On This Day - July 8, 2018 - India defeats England by 7 Wickets

The decider of the T20I series between India and England was played on 8th July, 2018 at the County Ground, Bristol. With the England team getting to bat first, they got to a total of 198 runs with the loss of 9 wickets in their 20 overs. Jason Roy scored 67 runs from 31 balls and had a strike rate of 216.12 while in the middle order, Alex Hales got 30 runs from 24 balls for the team.

(India defeated England by 7 wickets)

Besides this, Jonny Bairstow made 25 runs from 14 balls in the match. In the second innings, the Indian team got a poor start as Shikhar Dhawan was out for just 5 runs and even KL Rahul scored just 19 runs from 10 balls. However, Rohit Sharma’s 100 runs from 56 balls and Virat Kohli’s 43 runs from 29 balls ensured that the Indian team was right on track. At the end, the Indian team won the match by 7 wickets as they chased down the target in 18.4 overs.

On This Day - July 8, 2021 - England defeats Pakistan by 9 Wickets

As the first ODI of the series began in Cardiff, England produced a dominant performance to beat Pakistan by 9 wickets with 169 balls remaining. After choosing to bowl first, England's inexperienced attack made an immediate impact. Saqib Mahmood removed Imam ul Haq and Babar Azam in the opening over before finishing with outstanding figures of 4 for 42. Matt Parkinson claimed 2 wickets, while Craig Overton also picked up 2 as Pakistan were dismissed for just 141 in 35.2 overs.

(England defeated Pakistan by 9 Wickets)

Fakhar Zaman top scored with 47, while Shadab Khan added 30. In reply, England lost Phil Salt early for 7, but Dawid Malan and Zak Crawley ensured there were no further problems. Malan remained unbeaten on 68 from 69 balls, while Crawley scored an unbeaten 58 from 50 deliveries. Their 120 run partnership guided England to 142 for 1 in only 21.5 overs and a comfortable victory.

On This Day - July 8, 2017 - South Africa Women defeats India Women by 115 Runs

For the 18th match of the ICC Women's World Cup 2017 at Leicester, South Africa Women produced a strong all round performance to defeat India Women by 115 runs. After choosing to bowl first, India saw Lizelle Lee attack with a brilliant 92 from 65 balls, while captain Dane van Niekerk added 57. Useful contributions from Trisha Chetty with 24 and Chloe Tryon with 24 helped South Africa reach 273 for 9.

(South Africa Women defeated India Women by 115 Runs)

Shikha Pandey claimed 3 wickets, while Harmanpreet Kaur picked up 2. India's chase never gained momentum after losing early wickets. Deepti Sharma fought hard with 60 from 111 balls and Jhulan Goswami remained unbeaten on 43, but regular wickets ended India's hopes. Dane van Niekerk starred with the ball, taking 4 for 22, while Ayabonga Khaka claimed 2 wickets as India were bowled out for 158 in 46 overs.