'Dada' of Indian cricket Sourav Ganguly celebrates his 50th birthday

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, who is credited for putting fire in the belly of Indian cricketers with his no-holds-barred approach, celebrates his 50th birthday today, July 8. Fondly called ‘Maharaj’ and 'Dada' by most, Ganguly thrust young guns in the line of fire to turn them into braver cricketers, putting his complete trust in the youth. One of the most memorable instances of this was of course India's unforgettable 2002 Natwest Series triumph, in which India beat England by 2 wickets in the final at Lord's. Ganguly's subsequent shirt ripping act on the Lord's balcony is one cricket visual which will never be forgotten.

After his memorable Test debut in 1996 at Lord's, Ganguly was appointed India captain in 2000, and it was only after his appointment that India could lift itself out of the match-fixing scandal and come up with historic wins, including the 2001 iconic home Test series win against Australia. Ganguly also led the team to the 2003 ODI World Cup final and the memorable 2004 Test series win on Pakistan soil.

The most successful Indian Test captain for a long time (21 Test wins), before MS Dhoni eclipsed his figures in 2013, Ganguly played 113 Tests and 311 ODIs, scoring 7212 and 11363 runs, respectively. 49 of those 113 Tests were played as captain, in which he was also involved in 15 draws. He also scored 22 ODI centuries and 72 fifties. In Tests, he scored 16 centuries and 35 half-centuries. Ganguly officially took charge as the BCCI President in October 2019.