Sourav Ganguly over the years: The journey full of Dadagiri from 1992-2008 in pictures

If there is one person who can be termed as the warrior as well as the saviour of Indian cricket, it has to be Sourav Ganguly. Ganguly has not only been a phenomenal cricketer for the country, but has also taken up the administrative reins of Indian cricket after his retirement.

His passionate leadership took Indian cricket from the dark pits of a fixing scandal to a force to be reckoned with in world cricket. He was a champion batsman, a player with an undeniable presence on the field. With Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Anil Kumble, he formed the dream team. A team that was passionate, preserving and full of poise.

These four players, led by Dada, built Indian cricket brick by brick and eventually, made everyone else take notice of their overpowering spirit.

On his 46th birthday, let’s take a look at his career through a picture series:

After being a prolific run-scorer in the 1991-92 Ranji season, Ganguly received his first ODI call-up back in 1992. He made his debut against the West Indies, but could score just three runs in the match. The team dropped him thereafter, citing issues with his behaviour and “brash” attitude.

Ganguly made his international debut at the age of 20

The Kolkata-born player went back to domestic cricket and smashed runs in all competitions. His sensational knocks resulted in him knocking on the doors of the national team once again, and he was finally recalled to the Indian squad for the 1996 England tour. He replaced Navjot Singh Sindhu in the Test squad.

Both Dada and Rahul Dravid made their debut in the same match, and had an instant impact. While Dravid was unlucky to get out for 95, Ganguly went on to score a sensational 131 in front of the English crowd at Lord’s. He followed this up with a mind-blowing 148 at Trent Bridge in the very next match, announcing his arrival in world cricket.

Ganguly was stunning on his Test debut, scoring a magnificent hundred at Lordâs — Ganguly was stunning on his Test debut, scoring a magnificent hundred at Lord’s

If there was one tournament that bore witness to the tremendous potential of these two youngsters, it was ICC World Cup 1999. Both Ganguly and Dravid were in brilliant nick throughout the tournament. The one match where the duo stood out was against Sri Lanka, where they put together a 318-run stand. Ganguly scored a mind-blowing 183 off 157 deliveries, and smashed the Sri Lankan bowlers for 17 fours and 7 mammoth sixes.

Ganguly scored 183 at one end, Dravid scored 145 at the other

Ganguly was appointed as the captain of the side post the match-fixing scandal that Indian cricket found itself in at the end of the 20th century. It was a courageous decision by the youngster to take up the captaincy after such an ugly and disappointing incident, but he did so with determination and self-belief.

The leader in Ganguly awakened, as he led the team to an ODI series victory against South Africa immediately after his appointment. One of his biggest achievements as the captain of the team came when India defeated Australia 2-1 in the 2001 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Ganguly with the trophy at the M Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai

The 2003-04 season was exceptional for Ganguly as a captain. He led the team to the final of the ICC World Cup 2003, in what was a truly inspired campaign.

After that, India toured Australia for a memorable Test series, where the Men in Blue won their first-ever Test match in Australia. Ganguly’s leadership was phenomenal through the four games, which eventually ended with the captains sharing the trophy following a 1-1 drawn series. His own performance was great as well, as he scored one hundred and one fifty in the series with an average of over 47.

A tour of Pakistan beckoned soon after, which featured one of the most dramatic final Test matches in recent times. The teams won two Tests each, and India powered through to a riveting victory in the decisive match of the series. Ganguly played just one Test in the series though and missed the rest of the games due to injury.

Gangulyâs men had a scintillating World Cup campaign before they were outplayed by Australia in the final — Ganguly’s men had a scintillating World Cup campaign before they were outplayed by Australia in the final

The next couple of years formed the toughest phase of Ganguly’s career. His public spat with Greg Chappell grew darker with every passing day, and finally ended with him being sacked as the captain of the team and losing his place in the Indian squad.

The tussle between the captain and the coach affected the dynamics of the entire team

The Prince of Kolkata is nothing if not a fighter though. He fought his way back to both the Test and ODI squads while scripting one of the biggest comebacks in Indian cricket. He went absolutely berserk in 2007, scoring more than 1000 runs in both Test and ODI cricket.

His Test average was 61.44 that year, with three centuries and four fifties. One of those three centuries included a mind-blowing double hundred against Pakistan. He was also the fifth highest run-scorer in ODIs that year, whereby his limited-overs average soared to 44.28.

The left-hander scored a thumping 239 against arch-rivals Pakistan

The God of the Offside announced his international retirement during the India-Australia series in 2008. In an incredible gesture, the then captain, MS Dhoni, let Ganguly lead the team for one last time in the final moments of the fourth Test of the series.

Dadaâs retirement was an emotional affair for every Indian cricket follower — Dada’s retirement was an emotional affair for every Indian cricket follower

Ganguly continues to serve Indian cricket to this day, and has also taken the initiative of promoting other sports in the country. He is currently a part of the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) that will soon appoint the Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team.