A young man from Kolkata came to play his first ever Test and scored a splendid hundred to save team India against England in 1996 at the Lord's. The young man, Sourav Ganguly, turns 53. He was born on July 8, 1972, in Calcutta (now Kolkata), West Bengal.

In that match against England, Ganguly scored 131 off 301 balls with 20 boundaries. With the help of his century, India scored 429 and squared the match. The left-handed batter, who became one of the best captains in the history of the Indian cricket team, bagged multiple individual records, including a couple of hundreds in consecutive matches from debut.

Sourav Ganguly's first match as captain for India was in the Coca-Cola Singapore Challenge tournament in September 1999, where he led the team in a match against the West Indies. This was during Sachin Tendulkar's absence due to injury. When Ganguly took charge of Team India, the first XI contained players like Sadagoppan Ramesh, Vinod Kambli, Amay Khurasiya, Robin Singh, Laxmi Shukla.

Read More: Wiaan Mulder slams triple ton, joins Hashim Amla in South Africa’s elite Test records

A vision to create a team for upcoming days

Later, during his leadership, the team was introduced to one after another young talents like Rahul Dravid, Virendra Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, VVS Laxman, Irfan Pathan, Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan, Asish Nehra, Javagal Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad, Ajit Agarkar, and many more. Many would've forgotten that even Mahendra Singh Dhoni also made his international debut during the era of Sourav Ganguly. Sourav Ganguly's captaincy period for the Indian cricket team spanned from 1999 to 2005 in ODIs and from 2000 to 2005 in Tests. He led India in 146 ODIs from 1999 to 2005 and 49 tests from 2000 to 2005. 

During his time as a captain, he tried to shape a new-look team in India, which later won multiple ICC trophies, including the World Cup. When India won the World Cup under MS Dhoni's leadership, the first XI had multiple players who debuted in the blue jersey in Ganguly's time. 

Former India captain and opening batter Sourav Ganguly turned 52 on Monday, July 8. On his special day, let’s look at how the “Prince of Calcutta” changed Indian cricket.

Sourav Ganguly, one of India’s greatest captains, turned 52 on July 8. Known as ‘Dada,’ he is loved and respected by many. Wishes poured in for him on his birthday, including one from Manoj Tiwary, who expressed his love for the former Bengal captain. Cricket fans in India had more to celebrate as MS Dhoni also had his birthday on Sunday, spending the day with his wife Sakshi.

Ganguly ended his career as one of the most successful captains in cricket. Numbers alone can’t capture his impact on Indian cricket. He inspired many young cricketers like Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, and MS Dhoni when they started their international careers in the early 2000s.

Ganguly’s memorable debut and early career

Ganguly’s career began with a stunning debut century at Lord’s in 1996. This impressive start set the stage for his future success. He quickly became known as a talented and stylish batsman, forming a strong opening partnership with Sachin Tendulkar in ODIs. Ganguly’s elegant stroke play and ability to dominate bowlers made him a mainstay in the Indian batting lineup.

Ganguly’s rise to captaincy was a key moment for Indian cricket. He became captain in 1999 and soon proved to be a resilient and insightful leader. He helped Indian cricket fans fall in love with the team again, moving past the match-fixing scandal.

Under Ganguly’s leadership, the Indian team became fearless and competitive. His aggressive captaincy style brought new confidence to the team. One of his notable achievements was leading India to the final of the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup. Though India lost to Australia in the final, reaching it was a big accomplishment and revived Indian cricket’s spirit.

Triumphs Against Australia

Ganguly’s captaincy also saw significant successes against Australia. The 2001 home Test series win, highlighted by a famous comeback in the Kolkata Test with an epic partnership between VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid, is one of India’s greatest Test series wins. Ganguly’s aggressive captaincy and strategic skills were crucial in that victory.

Beyond his on-field success, Ganguly is known for mentoring young cricketers who became key players for India. He supported talents like Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, and Zaheer Khan, giving them opportunities and building their confidence. His ability to spot and nurture talent shaped the future of Indian cricket.

Ganguly’s legacy of leadership

Ganguly’s leadership, marked by aggression, confidence, and the ability to inspire, left a lasting legacy. He laid the groundwork for the next generation of Indian cricketers and set the stage for future successes, including the 2007 ICC T20 World Cup and the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup wins.

As the former BCCI president, Ganguly would surely have been proud when Rohit Sharma and his team lifted the T20 World Cup last month in Barbados.