Sourav Ganguly led India to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 Final in South Africa © Getty Images
Kolkata: Legendary Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan on Thursday congratulated former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly for being appointed as the brand ambassador for 2017 FIFA Under -17 World Cup, saying it’s a great honour for him as well as for India. “I think it’s a great honour for him because football is most popular game in the world. Sourav has done very well for the country. He is doing a great job in Kolkata as well. So, it’s a great opportunity for him. I think it’s a great gesture for the Indian country as well,” said Muralitharan. The ‘Bengal Tiger’, who co-owns a football team in the Indian Super League, is the first non-cricketer to become the brand ambassador of the 2017 FIFA Under-17 World Cup to be played in India. READ: Rahul Dravid refused Greg Chappell’s request to drop Sourav Ganguly in 2005, says the then team manager
FIFA’s main sponsors, Coca-Cola, will be associating Ganguly with the Under-17 World Cup. The cricketer-turned-commentator has been appointed as the social ambassador of Coca-Cola for a three-year deal ending in 2017. He replaced ‘Master Blaster’ Sachin Tendulkar, whose contract ended last year. READ: Sourav Ganguly: MS Dhoni’s captaincy abilities are remarkable
Ganguly was one of India’s most successful captains. He led India to their first ever World Cup Final since 1983 when India reached the final of the mega event in 2003, but lost to a dominant Australian team, who went on to lift their third crown. India however managed to win their furst ICC Cricket World Cup since 1983 when MS Dhoni led the team to a win in 2011 at Mumbai, thus becoming the first team to win a World Cup at home. READ: Sourav Ganguly backs BCCI’s conflict of interest agreement