Sourav Ganguly marked his 300th one day international with a man-of-the-match winning display during India's victory against England at Headingley on Sunday.
The left-handed batsman made 59 and shared a first-wicket stand of 116 with Sachin Tendulkar that laid the foundation for a total of 324 for six.
Then the 35-year-old made the most of the overcast conditions to take two for 26 in seven overs with his often under-rated right-arm medium pace.
His efforts helped India hold England to 242 for eight in 39 overs for a 38-run win under the Duckworth/Lewis system.
India's success in the rain-affected match reduced England's lead in the series to 3-2 ahead of the final fixtures at The Oval on Wednesday and Lord's on Saturday.
Ganguly has now scored more than 11,000 one day runs at an average of nearly 42 and taken 99 wickets at under 38 apiece.
His spell as captain of India may have been overshadowed toward the end of his tenure by a series of rows with then-coach Greg Chappell but Ganguly's self-confident approach, and refusal to be intimidated by opponents, helped stiffen the resolve of the team as a whole.
Rahul Dravid, India's current captain and himself a veteran of 325 one day internationals, was in no doubt about the worth of Ganguly, who made his one day debut in 1992 against the West Indies at Brisbane.
"Playing 300 matches is not as important as performance. He has performed for more than a decade -- that is a really big thing," Dravid said.
Ganguly's 79-ball innings, which included two sixes and seven fours, featured some trademark shots where his bat speed belied his slight frame.
His bowling then saw Ganguly enhance his reputation as something of a "golden arm," capable of taking important wickets.
First he had Matt Prior stumped by Mahendra Singh Dhoni and then had dangerman Ian Bell well caught by Dhoni.
Dhoni's six dismissals saw him equal the record for the most by a wicketkeeper in a one day international.
"At one stage we were hoping all the balls went to him," Dravid said.
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