Sourav Ganguly joins hands with Google to bowl googlies to former teammates

Imagine Sourav Ganguly, the Dada of Indian cricket, slipping in a googly to former teammate and leg spin ace Anil Kumble while the latter is fast asleep? Or trying to get Shane Watson to edge at one of his gentle out-swingers?

These, of course, come in the form of trick quiz questions from the former Indian captain over phone calls in a new Google campaign called ‘Googlies on Google’, an initiative by the global search engine major which aims to make the search experience ‘more fun’ and interactive.

It’s also yet another addition to Ganguly’s burgeoning portfolio of endorsements. At 52, nearly 17 years after leaving international cricket, he is the face of a whopping 38 brands.

“The ‘Gangooglie’ campaign, which has gone viral ever since it’s gone on air a few days back, will run for six months. It’s a short-term endorsement by all the cricketers involved for the time being,’’ says Taniya Bhattacharya, operations head of Ganguly’s portfolios and commercial interests.

The six other cricketers involved in the campaign along with Ganguly are Watson, England’s World Cup winning captain Eoin Morgan, Kumble, Virender Sehwag, Mohammad Kaif and Suresh Raina.   

While Ganguly shot his segment in Kolkata, his fellow cricketers filmed their bits in Mumbai and various other locations.

“The concept resonated strongly with audiences and even drew praise from Google CEO , who appreciated the fun and educational twist the campaign brings to daily searches,” Bhattacharya said to a query from National Herald.

There is never a dull moment for Ganguly, of course, who is more of a cultural icon among the Bengalis. He has kept a hectic schedule for years now — between brand endorsements, guest appearances on various gigs and the Kolkata International Film Festival, where he is the state’s brand ambassador, and TV reality shows. The list is simply endless.

Add to this is his role as the mentor of the , for whom he was in charge of the team this year which finished just prior to the .

His involvement in sports also extends beyond cricket as he co-owns the Kolkata team in the Indian Racing Festival.

A portfolio of 38 brands puts him just behind the likes of and in terms of product range — and significantly ahead of good friend , who is a face for around 15 brands. Ganguly’s lends himself to brands in banking, real estate, automobiles, consumer goods and a few other sectors.

Tania Bhattacharya, operations head for Sourav Ganguly's commercial interestsThe thought process behind this is to position Ganguly as a thought leader— not just in sport but also in areas like leadership, organisational change and even socio-economic development through sport

“While two of his brands are international, the other 36 are pan-India brands.

“At this juncture, we are trying to increase the bandwidth to non-cricketing events outside India — an example being a supply chain talk in Dubai earlier this week. His participation in such business-focused events allows him to be seen as a strategic thinker.

“The narrative that we are trying to build around Ganguly is to bring in the element discipline, strategic execution and leading under pressure — skills that resonate across industries,” adds Bhattacharya.

The last few years have also seen the articulate Ganguly participating in talk shows in the UK and a few other international hubs — meet-and-greet affairs where he holds forth on cricket, leadership and other issues.

“The thought process behind this is to position Ganguly as a thought leader— not just in sport but also in areas like leadership, organisational change and even socio-economic development through sports,” says Bhattacharya.