"Happy birthday, Prince of Kolkata!" - Cricket fraternity extends special wishes as Sourav Ganguly turns 51
The cricket community extended warm wishes to former Team India captain Sourav Ganguly as he turned 51 on July 8. The Kolkatat-born cricketer retired from international cricket in 2008 after an eventful 16-year career, which witnessed many highs and lows.
Ganguly played 113 Test matches and scored 7212 runs at an average of 42.17, including 16 centuries and 35 half-centuries. His 239 against Pakistan in Bangalore in 2007 was his highest score in the red-ball format.
In ODI cricket, he amassed 11363 runs at an average of 41.02, with 22 centuries and 72 fifties to his name across 311 matches. Ganguly did not play in the T20I format in his career.
On the occasion of his 51st birthday, Sourav's former teammates and other members of the cricket fraternity were quick to wish him well on social media. Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh led the way with special posts.
Here are some of the wishes:
Dadi is one man who would even celebrate his birthday on the offside. Thatโs how much he loved the offside. Happy birthday, my friend! @SGanguly99 https://t.co/KgYPnLqNRl
Wish you a wonderful year full of happiness and good health Dada @SGanguly99 ๐ค
This Jersey, this era will always be special for Indian cricket fans. Happy Birthday to the man who led India to new heights during this era ๐ Wish you a wonderful year full of happiness and good health Dada @SGanguly99 ๐ค https://t.co/zepk1tnUvP
Happy birthday #dadi! Loads of love always ๐ค 
@SGanguly99
When youโre planning the next prank with dada without him knowing that he is the one who will actually be pranked ๐คช ๐ Happy birthday #dadi! Loads of love always ๐ค โค๏ธ @SGanguly99 https://t.co/fCdF8DV6pt
@SGanguly99 
โผ ๐ป๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
โผ ๐บ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐
โผ ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
โผ ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ท๐๐๐๐๐!
Sourav Ganguly is all of us ๐ซ
Wishing you a Super Birthday DADA!
#WhistlePodu๐ฆ๐ @SGanguly99
๐ธ:@BCCI https://t.co/R1BaFGFtkY
Many happy returns of the day to a legendary cricketer and a remarkable leader, @SGanguly99.
Wish you the best always, Dada! twitter.com/i/web/status/1โฆ https://t.co/xNVwjx3IWo
Tiger , prince of kolkotta , Captain Happy Birthday Dada .. Light it, love it, live it .. lots of love .. โค๏ธ๐คโค๏ธ @SGanguly99 https://t.co/udbn8IkBXx
Wishing my first Indian captain a very happy birthday. Lots of love daadi. Have a great year ahead @SGanguly99 #HappyBirthdayDADA https://t.co/ZGkumhkiJ2
Wishing you an incredible day filled with joy, success, and happy memories. From leading our nation with passion to inspiring generations, you've been a true legend on and off the field. Keep shining, Dada! 
Happy birthday to the one and only @SGanguly99! ๐ Wishing you an incredible day filled with joy, success, and happy memories. From leading our nation with passion to inspiring generations, you've been a true legend on and off the field. Keep shining, Dada! โจ
#HappyBirthdayDADA https://t.co/uX1avCZc9i
๐ Happy birthday, @SGanguly99! ๐ Wishing the incredible Dada a day filled with joy, success, and endless celebrations. ๐ May this year bring you more milestones and happiness. #HappyBirthdayDada #SauravGanguly #CricketLegend" https://t.co/UMVxQ2KcRa
Roles and times might have changed, but our love and respect for Dada remained the same ๐ซก
Send in your wishes as we celebrate Dada's special day ๐
#HappyBirthdayDada @SGanguly99 https://t.co/PlzN7iawjT
Happy birthday, Dada ๐๐
@SGanguly99 | #HappyBirthdayDada https://t.co/ZrkKd0l8aJ
The man who changed the face of Indian Cricket! ๐ฎ๐ณโค๏ธ
Wishing you many happy returns of the day, Dada! ๐ฅณ
#PlayBold #HappyBirthdayDada @SGanguly99 https://t.co/SAVkdaFdpp
Happy Birthday, Dada! May the almighty bless you with good health and prosperity. Have a great year ahead and I look forward to seeing you soon ๐ค - @SGanguly99 #HappyBirthdayDada https://t.co/Ko0dnUStdI
๐๐ข๐ฉ๐ข๐ณ๐ข๐ซ๐ข ๐ต๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ญ๐ข๐ฎ! ๐
Happy birthday, Prince of Kolkata! ๐
#HappyBirthdayDada | #SouravGanguly | @SGanguly99 https://t.co/zIdyfiWpcd
#SouravGanguly
Lord, Maharaj, Dada, Skipper, Fighter
July 2005 -- I remember the month for two specific reasons.
1) Floods that brought Mumbai to a complete halt.
2) Indian team landed in Sri Lanka for the Indian Oil Cup and waited for Sourav Ganguly to join as the 16thโฆ twitter.com/i/web/status/1โฆ
As a young guy, if you have a captain like Sourav Ganguly, you get emboldened: Mohammad Kaif
Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif recently heaped praise on Sourav Ganguly's leadership qualities. When asked to pick the best captain he played under during an interaction on 'Virtual Encounters' on DD India, Kaif chose Ganguly.
Kaif explained the rationale behind his choice by highlighting the advice, encouragement, and backing Ganguly gave the youngsters during his captaincy. He said:
"I remember he told me that I should go out there and give my best shot and that he is there to back me, he is there to support me. That's a big comment. As a young guy, if you have a captain like Sourav Ganguly, you get emboldened while playing for India.
"Ganguly was amazing, he was fantastic. Captaincy means you need to be a leader - lead from the front, pick the right players and back them. Ganguly built the team."
Kaif added:
"After what had happened earlier, when he got the opportunity to captain after the 2001 match-fixing scandal, he took the Indian team forward. He brought the likes of Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif and Harbhajan Singh. So I think he was the one who took the team forward, there is no doubt about that."