Sourav Ganguly turns 52: A look at illustrious career 'dada' of Indian cricket

PTC News Desk: Sourav Ganguly has turned 52 today. The former India skipper, called the 'God of Off-side' by former India head coach and teammate Rahul Dravid, has made numerous outstanding contributions to cricket and continues to do so as Director of Cricket for Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Delhi Capitals.

Let's look back on his nearly two-decade career.

There is no questioning that he was India's most successful Test captain, leading a winning team from a pool of talented players, and that he is still one of the best one-day batsmen in history. 

Despite being a hitter who could play with both grace and surgical accuracy, his career had come to a halt until he hit a stunning hundred on his Lord's debut in 1996. He was promoted to the top of the ODI order later that year, and he and Sachin Tendulkar formed one of the most potent opening combinations in history.

Ganguly was known for his strong leadership style throughout his tenure on the pitch. 

He debuted in Tests against England in the summer of 1996, gaining the nickname 'Dada'. He instantly grabbed headlines after striking a century in his debut Test at Lord's, and the 'Prince of Kolkata' went on to smash another century in the second Test, becoming only the third hitter in history to score a hundred in each of his first two innings.

In 2000, the Team India camp became embroiled in a match-fixing scandal. Ganguly was subsequently made captain of the team, and he began cultivating new talent.

Ganguly took India to the finals of the 2000 ICC Knockout Trophy for the first time. Another Team India milestone occurred in 2001, when Ganguly's side defeated Australia 2-1 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

The former India captain's most memorable moment was undoubtedly when he stripped off his shirt on the Lord's balcony during India's dramatic win against England in the Natwest Trophy finals in 2002.

Ganguly also led India to the 2003 World Cup final, where they were narrowly defeated by Australia in the title game. In 2004, he led an ODI and Test series in Pakistan. India won its first Test series in Pakistan.

'Dada' also had a notable spat with then-coach Greg Chappell in 2005-6, when the 'Prince of Kolkata' was kept out of the Team India squad. Ganguly, on the other hand, made his way back into the team and scored more than 50 runs in Johannesburg.

Ganguly is credited for helping to popularise the concept of day-night Test cricket in India. His efforts were rewarded when India played its first-ever day-night Test match against Bangladesh at Eden Gardens in 2019.

He led India in 195 matches across all formats and won 97 of them. The former captain later went on to become President of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) and a former President of the BCCI.