Sourav Ganguly made MCC honorary life member

Sourav Ganguly (R) of MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) plays a shot as Lancashire's wicket keeper Gareth Cross (L) looks on during the second semi-final Emirates Airlines Twenty20 cricket match in Dubai March 23, 2012. REUTERS/ Nikhil Monteiro/Files

LONDON (Reuters) - Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has been awarded an honorary life membership to the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the celebrated cricket club announced on Sunday. Following his test debut in 1996 the 42-year-old played a combined 424 test and one day international matches for India, averaging over 40 with the bat and taking 132 wickets. "I've got some fantastic memories of playing at Lord's that I carry with me forever -- from the hundred on my debut to the amazing NatWest Trophy Final in 2002," Ganguly, who captained India 195 times, said. "I've thoroughly enjoyed coming back to the ground both as a player and since I retired, and it's wonderful to now be part of MCC. I'd like to thank the Club for awarding me this privilege." Honorary life memberships are awarded by the Lord's-based the MCC, the guardian of the sport's laws for more than 200 years, to recognise an individual's service to cricket and other projects surrounding the game. (Reporting By Tom Hayward; editing by Michael Hann)