NEW DELHI: As former India captain Sourav Ganguly celebrates his 47th birthday today, many Indian cricketers flooded the social-media with wishes for the veteran.
Ganguly, better known as 'Dada' in the cricket fraternity, has always been appreciated for his efforts in building the Indian team and nurturing young talents under his captaincy.
Cricketers like Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Virendra Sehwag, and MS Dhoni made their debut under Ganguly's leadership.
Former India opening batsman Virender Sehwag wished his captain in a witty post on Twitter," Happy Birthday to a 56" Captain, Dada, Sourav Ganguly!56-inch chest, 8th day of the 7th month, 8*7 = 56 and a World Cup average of 56. #HappyBirthdayDada, May God Bless You!"
"Many more happy returns of the day @SGanguly99! Wish you even more success and love #HappyBirthdayDada," VVS Laxman tweeted.
"Happy Birthday to a man who brought about a fantastic transition in Indian cricket, a brilliant leader who backed guys he believed in to the fullest. But aise kaun chadhta hai, Dada @SGanguly99 #HappyBirthdayDada," Mohammad Kaif tweeted.
"Many happy returns of the day dada! The man who changed the face of Indian cricket. @SGanguly99 #HappyBirthdayDada," Pragyan Ojha tweeted.
Author, Investor, Commentator: The Many Shades Of Cricket Legend Sourav Ganguly
Happy Birthday, Dada
8 Jul, 2019
'Prince of Kolkata' and 'God of off-side' are just phrases that try to define the legend that Sourav Ganguly is. Fondly known as 'Dada', Ganguly is considered as one of the greatest captains in the history of Indian cricket.
An incredibly-gifted player, Ganguly's 16-year cricketing career boasts of 311 ODIs where he scored 11,363 runs. The man who stands as the third-highest run-scorer for India in ODIs, has 22 centuries and 72 half-centuries in his name, in the limited-overs format.
The former skipper, who hung his boots from the game in 2008, has groomed several of India's finest players including Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Virender Sehwag.
After quitting the game 11 years ago, Dada went on to make his mark in other fields of life. Today, as the legend of Indian cricket turns 47, here's a peek at what Dada did after retiring from all forms of cricket.
When Dada Turned Host For A Show
8 Jul, 2019
In October 2009, Ganguly was roped in as host of a Bengali quiz show named 'Dadagiri Unlimited'. It featured participants from 19 districts of Bengal who were required to answer questions posed by the host.In 2009, actor Shah Rukh Khan also made a guest appearance on the show. Dada continues to host the game even today.
The King Of Commentary
8 Jul, 2019
Ganguly's shift from the pitch to the commentary box turned out to be a positive one for his fans. Deemed as one of the most-frank commentators ever, Ganguly is one who never thinks twice before making witty remarks about the audience, his former competitors and even the men in blue.Once during a match against Australia, when the stadium didn't have too many Australians in the stands, Ganguly trolled them by saying that he witnesses far more people at Durga Puja each year.In this year's World Cup, Dada joined Harsha Bhogle and Sanjay Manjrekar in ICC's panel of commentators.
Ganguly, The Investor
8 Jul, 2019
In 2017, Ganguly plunged into the start-up world as an investor. An entertainment company named FlickTree gained encouragement from Dada who deemed it as a platform which could change the way videos are consumed. Along with Venture Catalysts, Aditya Group of Kolkata and Moksh Sports Ventures, Ganguly provided a seed fund of Rs 3 crore to the start-up.
Me, In My Words
8 Jul, 2019
In 2018, Ganguly turned his focus to literature and penned his autobiography titled 'A Century is Not Enough: My Roller-coaster Ride to Success'. The memoir includes details about Ganguly's cricketing career in phases, from national events to international tournaments, and his stint with the Indian Premier League.
Apart from helming the team, Ganguly played 311 ODIs and hammered 11363 runs in his celebrated career. He also capped in 113 Test matches and scored 7212 runs with an average of 42.17.
The left-handed batsman has 38 tons and 107 fifties in the ODI and Test games for India.
Ganguly made his ODI debut in 1992 and scored 3 runs in his first game against West Indies.
He led the Indian Test side that defeated Australia in 2001 and defied the odds to lift the Natwest Trophy in 2002. Under his captaincy, the Men in Blue became the runners-up of the 2003 World Cup, where the team faced defeat at the hands of Australia.
Ganguly retired from all formats of cricket in 2008, scoring a fearsome knock of 85 runs in his final test match against Australia.