Happy Birthday Sourav Ganguly: Recapping the ace-cricketer's best on-field moments as he turns 52

Sourav Ganguly officially marked a full-fledged retirement from cricket in 2012 after 2 decades worth of playing for the country. Despite it having been over a decade since he bowed out of cricket, Dada, as he is lovingly called by his fans, has erected a legacy that clearly refuses to die. From Sachin Tendulkar to Manoj Tiwary, wishes for Dada have been puring in all-day long.

Be it his impassioned (and shirtless!) celebration during the 2022 NatWest Tri-series or his his BCCI presidency tenure, here's recapping some of his iconic career highlights.

NatWest victory dance

A cricket fan or not, there are no points for guessing the most iconic moment of Dada's cricketing career. During the final match NatWest match in 2002, India beat England by 2 wickets. Sourav Ganguly painted an animated picture as he was captured, shirtless, waving his blue jersey in the air from the Lord's stadium's dressing room. Incidentally, this moment came just 5 days after his birthday that year.

2003 World Cup final

It was under Sourav Ganguly's captaincy that India made it to the finals of the 2003 World Cup. Though the men in blue put their best foot forward, Australia clinched the title with a lead of 125 runs. What was remarkable about this moment however, was that it was under Dada's captaincy that Team India secured a place in the finals, something last achieved in 1983 when the team was led to victory by Kapil Dev.

His 2006 comeback

Following his incessant rifts with former Australian cricketer turned Indian head coach Greg Chappell, not only did Ganguly lose his captaincy post in 2005 but also his spot on the national team. The very next year however, he made a stellar comeback, being seminal to India's first test match win in South Africa.

Dada's IPL debut

Dada commenced his short-lived IPL stint in 2008 as captain of the Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla and Jay Mehta owned Kolkata Knight Riders. In 2011 he played for the Pune Warriors, which incidentally served as his last series of matches before he announced a complete retirement.

BCCI presidency

About 7 years after his retirement, Sourav Ganguly was elected as the BCCI president in 2019. He served a strong-headed tenure till October 2022, till he handed over the reigns for the hallowed post to Roger Binny. He currently serves as the Head of Cricket (Director) of Delhi Capitals.

We wish Sourav Ganguly a Happy Birthday!