Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar
Twitter on Thursday was flooded with birthday wishes and tributes for former India skipper Sourav Ganguly. The 'Prince of Kolkata', arguably one of India's most decorated captains, turned 49 on July 8th.
Legendary Sachin Tendulkar also had a special wish for the Ganguly. Tendulkar used a Bengali sentence to wish his former opening partner and captain.
"আমার প্রিয় দাদি। শুভ জন্মদিন। আপনার সামনে একটি স্বাস্থ্যকর এবং সুখী বছর কামনা করি| My beloved Dadi. Happy birthday. Wishing you a healthy and happy year ahead,” tweeted Sachin along with an old photograph with Ganguly.
Tendulkar and Ganguly hold the record for most runs by an opening pair in ODIs. The pair amassed 6609 runs in 136 innings. They had 21 century and 23 fifty partnerships while opening the innings for the country.
Ganguly led India in 146 ODIs, winning 76. In Tests, he led India to 21 victories in 49 games, with 15 draws. He is also credited for India's historic 2-1 Test series win against Australia in 2001.
A year later, India clinched the Natwest Trophy in the thrilling encounter against England. No fan can forget the memory of an animated Ganguly waving his shirt at the Lord’s balcony to celebrate the iconic resurgence of the Indian team.
Under Ganguly, India also reached the final of the 2003 World Cup. A year later, India defeated Pakistan at their own backyard in his leadership in ODI and Test series.
Apart from his exemplary leadership skills, Ganguly also flaunts impressive numbers with the bat. The left-hander is India's third-highest run-scorer in ODIs with 11,163 runs, including 22 centuries and 72 half-centuries. In the Test format, he has scored 7212 runs with 16 centuries and 35 fifties in 113 Tests.
Ganguly bid adieu to international cricket with the Nagpur Test against Australia in 2008. He also went on to become the President of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) and is currently the President of the BCCI.
Many other former and current players extended birthday wishes to Ganguly.
