Former India captain Sourav Ganguly turned 53 on Tuesday, and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) marked the occasion by extending warm birthday wishes to its former president.
Ganguly made his international debut in an ODI against the West Indies during the 1992 Benson & Hedges World Series and went on to serve Indian cricket for 16 years.
The elegant left-handed batter is widely regarded as one of India’s greatest cricketers, particularly in the One-Day International (ODI) format. In a career that left an indelible mark on Indian cricket, Ganguly scored 7,212 runs in 113 Test matches at an average of 42.17, including 16 centuries. In ODIs, he amassed 11,363 runs in 311 matches at an average of 41.02, registering 22 centuries.
“424 international matches, 18,575 international runs, 38 international centuries. Here’s wishing former #TeamIndia Captain and former BCCI President Sourav Ganguly a very Happy Birthday,” the BCCI posted on X.
Responding to the post, Ganguly said: “Thank you BCCI… the best sporting organisation in the world.”
Sourav Ganguly is also remembered as one of India’s most influential and successful captains. Taking over the reins in 2000, he led India in 49 Tests and 146 ODIs, securing 21 and 76 wins respectively. Under his leadership, the Indian team began to achieve notable success overseas in Test cricket and reached the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2003.
A hallmark of Ganguly’s captaincy was his ability to identify and back a generation of talented cricketers who went on to become match-winners for India.
Among his many achievements, Ganguly is one of only eight Indian players to have scored over 7,000 Test runs and ranks ninth in terms of Test centuries for India, with 16 to his name. In ODIs, he remains the eighth-highest run-scorer globally and is among a select group of 14 players to surpass the 10,000-run milestone.
Ganguly holds the record for the highest individual score by an Indian in a World Cup match – a blazing 183 against Sri Lanka in 1999. He was also the first player to score three centuries in a single World Cup edition (2003) and recorded three hundreds in the ICC Champions Trophy across the 2000 and 2002 editions.
Following his retirement from international cricket, Ganguly transitioned into administration. After serving as President of the Cricket Association of Bengal (2015–2019), he was unanimously elected as President of the BCCI, holding office from 2019 to 2022.
(With inputs from IANS)
