"Happy birthday, Prince of Kolkata!" - Cricket fraternity extends special wishes as Sourav Ganguly turns 51

Published Jul 08, 2023 17:35 IST

Ganguly received special wishes on Saturday as he turned 51.

The cricket community extended warm wishes to former Team India captain Sourav Ganguly as he turned 51 on July 8. The Kolkatat-born cricketer retired from international cricket in 2008 after an eventful 16-year career, which witnessed many highs and lows.

Ganguly played 113 Test matches and scored 7212 runs at an average of 42.17, including 16 centuries and 35 half-centuries. His 239 against Pakistan in Bangalore in 2007 was his highest score in the red-ball format.

In ODI cricket, he amassed 11363 runs at an average of 41.02, with 22 centuries and 72 fifties to his name across 311 matches. Ganguly did not play in the T20I format in his career.

On the occasion of his 51st birthday, Sourav's former teammates and other members of the cricket fraternity were quick to wish him well on social media. Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh led the way with special posts.

As a young guy, if you have a captain like Sourav Ganguly, you get emboldened: Mohammad Kaif

Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif recently heaped praise on Sourav Ganguly's leadership qualities. When asked to pick the best captain he played under during an interaction on 'Virtual Encounters' on DD India, Kaif chose Ganguly.

Kaif explained the rationale behind his choice by highlighting the advice, encouragement, and backing Ganguly gave the youngsters during his captaincy. He said:

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Balakrishna has been a cricket writer at Sportskeeda for almost seven years. A sport that he has been following and playing since he was eight, Balakrishna enjoys the intensity of the sport, skills and strategies applied to get a result out of nowhere, and the thrill that it gives. He also played as a medium pace bowling all-rounder in four inter-college tournaments, winning twice.

Balakrishna’s all-time favorite cricketers are Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma. He admires Sachin’s stellar performances against legendary bowlers, along with his discipline and humility. Meanwhile, he is a big fan of how Rohit turned around his initial struggles to build a successful career.

He avidly supports Team India and 2016 IPL winners SunRisers Hyderabad. The first World Cup that Balakrishna ever saw was the 2003 World Cup, when Australia comprehensively triumphed over India in the final.

While working, he ensures he only uses reliable sources and provides relevant, ethical, and accurate information. When not working, Balakrishna enjoys playing table tennis and reading non-fiction books.

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