Sourav Ganguly birthday: Mohammed Kaif, VVS Laxman lead way in sending wishes to 'Dada'

Sourav Ganguly, President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), is celebrating his 49th birthday today, and greetings from people from all walks of life have already begun to pour in. Former cricketers such as Mohammed Kaif and VVS Laxman are among those who have sent their best wishes to Ganguly. 

"When Dada led you onto the field, you somehow felt taller. Happy Birthday to the captain who patted your back when you did well and put a hand around your shoulder when you didn’t. #DadaBornleader @SGanguly99," Kaif wrote on Twitter. 

"Many more happy returns of the day @SGanguly99. May you be gifted with life’s biggest joys and never-ending bliss. Wishing you a great year ahead," Laxman wrote.  
 

Ganguly's career

Ganguly is regarded as one of the best player-captain India has ever had. It was under Ganguly's leadership that India reached the final of the 2003 ICC World Cup and went from being No. 8 in ICC Test rankings to number two. Ganguly is often credited with nurturing some of India's future superstars such as MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammed Kaif, Suresh Raina, etc. 

The prolific left-handed batsman has 7,212 runs in Test cricket and 11,363 runs in one-day internationals, which he made at an average of 42.17 and 41.02 respectively. Ganguly was the third batsman after Sachin Tendulkar and Inzamam-ul-Haq to cross the 10,000-run mark in ODI cricket. 

Ganguly is also the recipient of several awards and honour, including the Padma Shri, which is India's fourth-highest civilian award. Ganguly was awarded Banga Bibhushan by the government of West Bengal in 2013 for bringing laurels to the state and also for his contributions. The southpaw's reign in international cricket ended abruptly after he announced retirement from all forms of cricket in 2008. Ganguly then got into the administrative side of cricket and assumed charge as president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) before becoming the BCCI President. 

(Image Credit: PTI)