‘The man who transformed Indian cricket’- Fans react as Sourav Ganguly turns 51
Sourav Ganguly scored 11363 runs in ODIs.
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Jul 8, 2023 11:00 am
Sourav Ganguly (Source: Twitter)
Sourav Ganguly turned 51 on July 8. He fondly earned the name Dada in Indian Cricketing circles. The stylish left-hander from Kolkata made everyone’s eyes lit up when he scored a hundred on his Test debut in 1996. The left-hander batter also earned the moniker of God of the off-side for his sizzling drives through the off-side. Ganguly gave India a new lease of life in the 2000s when the alleged match-fixing scandal hit India in the late 90s.
When Ganguly became the skipper of the Indian team, the team found a leader who was willing to go against the norm to get the right results. The wins at Headingley in 2002 and in Brisbane in 2003-04 at the Gabba demonstrate his fearlessness. Under Dada, India broke the jinx when it came to doing well in finals and won the prestigious NatWest Trophy in 2002 in a thrilling final at Lords. To show the enormity of the occasion, he also removed his shirt on the Lord’s balcony and twirled it around.
India beat Australia 2-1 in a historic Test series in 2001 under Sourav Ganguly’s leadership
Under Ganguly, India gave birth to the next generation of young cricketers. Mohammed Kaif who was a resolute batter and also very famous for his fielding came through, Yuvraj Singh offered a fantastic left-handed option in the middle-order for India. When it came to fast bowling, India had Zaheer Khan who went on to become a menacing left-armer. He later led the Indian bowling attack in 2011.
Ajit Agarkar and Ashish Nehra also came along, Ashish Nehra offered a left-arm option with his bag of tricks and great pace. Under Ganguly’s leadership, India started winning Test matches abroad and also kept being dominant at home. Ganguly made people believe that Indians could do well abroad and they had nothing to fear against overseas teams. One of the landmark series wins under Dada came in 2001 against a mighty Australian side.
Australia hammered India in Mumbai in the first Test before India recorded one of the most stunning wins at Kolkata following on. Then India went and won a thriller at Chennai in the third Test. After the series finished the Australians could not believe what had hit them. Ganguly also served as Indian Cricket Board president in his later years.
Let us take a look at the reactions on Twitter:
One Sun 🌄
One Moon ☪️
King Of Sixer Player ✈️🥳
God Father of Indian Cricket 🦁
God Of Off Side 🙏
One of the Stylish Left Hand Batsmen in the Cricket World 🥳
Happy Birthday, Sourav Ganguly! Your passion and leadership on the field have inspired me to not only watch cricket but also pick up a cricket bat myself. Thank you for being a true icon and role model. Wishing you a fantastic day filled with joy and success.#HappyBirthdayDADApic.twitter.com/DfHOekfqBq
Happy Birthday to the captain who took the reins in the darkest phase of Indian cricket and made the test team brave enough to compete away from home. The first captain since I started following cricket, childhood memories of Dada stepping out to hit the spinners. #SouravGanguly
— Sports Enthusiast Priyanka (@PBanerj47090168) July 8, 2023
When ever I hear the word Captain, I remember @SGanguly99 , Captaincy under Sourav Ganguly's leadership was truly remarkable, His fearless and aggressive approach propelled the Indian cricket team to new heights.
— अविक (मोदी का परिवार) (@AvickSaha_) July 7, 2023
Sourav Ganguly used to dance down the pitch against spinners.Coincidentally his wife is a prominent Odissi dancer & his sister in law is a prominent Mohiniyattam dancer..#HappyBirthdayGangulypic.twitter.com/n5XMRp1pey
Happy Birthday My Captain & My Leader forever @SGanguly99..A special birthday… emperor of come backs…. 51not out hopefully a century some day… Love You loads Dada.. #besthuman#souravganguly#happybirthdaydada 5️⃣1️⃣
