#OTD in 1996 | Sourav Ganguly registered his first ton on Test Debut

June 22 1996, is etched into the history books as it witnessed two of the finest players, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, provide a sneak peek of their talent in international cricket. 

It was the second Test of the bilateral series against England at Lord's. In the first red-ball fixture at Birmingham, the home team secured an eight-wicket victory. The only positives for the Indian team were Sachin Tendulkar, who scored a hundred in the second innings, and Venkatesh Prasad, picking up six wickets.  

The team management decided to hand maiden Test caps to Ganguly and Dravid, with the likes of Sanjay Manjrekar and Sunil Joshi making way. 

Ganguly made his ODI debut in 1992 against West Indies. Meanwhile, Dravid featured in his first 50-over match one month before the fixture against Sri Lanka. 

The Mohammad Azharuddin-led side elected to field first. Jack Russell (124) and Graham Thorpe (89) knocks helped England post a score of 344 on the board. For visitors, Prasad scalped five wickets. Interestingly, Ganguly picked up two wickets as well. 

Indian openers Vikram Rathour (15) and Nayan Mongia (24) started well but were gradually dismissed. 

Debutant Ganguly arrived at number three and started his innings with a delightful cover drive. He tackled the English seamers well and hit the odd boundaries. The Prince of Kolkata and Tendulkar ensured the team ended Day Two positively at 83/2. 

On June 22 (the third day), Ganguly played cautiously against the seamers in the morning session. However, he grew in confidence with multiple boundaries at the point area. At the other end, the likes of Tendulkar (31), Azharuddin (16), and Ajay Jadeja (10) could not hold on to their wickets, and the Indian team was at 202/5. 

Dravid got an opportunity to bat at number seven. However, with the home side deciding to opt for the new ball, Ganguly used it to his advantage and continued to steer the team towards a respectable total by hitting glorious boundaries. 

Eventually, he reached his first century with a delightful shot in the covers off Dominic Cork, lifting the whole squad to their feet. 

The 23-year-old became the third player to achieve a red-ball century on his international debut at Lord's. Eventually, Ganguly was dismissed at 131 thanks to an excellently bowled yorker from Alan Mullally.

Rahul Dravid chipped in with a well-made 95, and tail-enders' support helped the visitors score 429 and take a lead of 85 runs. 

In the second innings, England scored 278, with Alec Stewart scoring 66 runs. For the Indian team, Anil Kumble scalped three wickets. 

Although the match ended in a draw, it provided a crucial platform to two exceptional players, Ganguly and Dravid, who went on to play for India until 2008 and 2012, respectively.