"Big hand of this guy in development of Indian Team where we are today"- Indian cricket fraternity and fans wish Sourav Ganguly on 52nd birthday
Former Indian captain and one of the most accomplished batters Sourav Ganguly turned 52 today (July 8). It had social media buzzing with former Indian cricketers and fans sending their best wishes for the man popularly known as 'Dada'.
In an illustrious international career from the mid-1990s to the late 2000s, Ganguly thrilled fans with his glorious off-side play and massive sixes against spinners. He finished with over 18,500 runs and 38 centuries in 424 games across Tests and ODIs.
The southpaw remains the ninth leading run-scorer in ODI history with 11,363 runs, including an incredible 22 tons and 72 half-centuries. Ganguly also has the distinguished record of scoring a century on Test debut against England at Lord's in 1996.
Several former Indian cricketers who have played with and under Ganguly and fans sent their best wishes through their Twitter handles.
Here are some of the best reactions:
Another former Indian batter Manoj Tiwary extended his best wishes to Ganguly by saying:
"𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧!! Love you 𝐃𝐚𝐝𝐚 and wishing you a very happy birthday."
Fans also shared their tributary messages for Ganguly on his birthday with one saying:
"Sourav Ganguly would have been a beast in T20i if it was played in his 20s."
"Warm birthday wishes to the legendary cricketer Sourav Ganguly! Your leadership and inspiration have left an indelible mark on the hearts of cricket fans. May you have a healthy and joyful life ahead," tweeted a fan.
Sourav Ganguly's captaincy ascended India from turmoil to jubilation
If Sourav Ganguly's batting prowess took him to all-time great status, his captaincy ascended him to legendary status in the Indian cricket folklore.
Taking over when India were reeling under the match-fixing scandal in 1999, the now-52-year-old immidiately turned a sinking ship into a major force in world cricket. Ganguly led the side to becoming joint-winners of the 2002 Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka.
He also captained India through one of their most impressive runs during the 2003 ODI World Cup, where they finished runners-up to Australia. Ganguly also the Asian giants walk away with a 1-1 drawn series in England and Australia in 2002 and 2003/04.
Ganguly finished his stellar captaincy stint with 97 wins ( fourth-most by an Indian captain behind MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and Mohammad Azharuddin) in 178 matches.
Following his incredible playing career, he also served as BCCI president from 2019 for three years and is currently the director of cricket for the Delhi Capitals (DC).