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As former India captain Sourav Ganguly celebrates his 47th birthday, on Monday, many Indian cricketers flooded the social-media with wishes for the veteran.
On the occasion of his birthday, former Indian cricket captain and Padma Shri recipient, announced his entry to Instagram, the Facebook-owned photo and video sharing app.
Through Instagram, Sourav via his handle 'souravganguly', hopes to connect directly with his young fans, share memorable moments from his illustrious cricketing career, cheer for the Indian team as they play in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup and express his opinion on social causes, with Instagram's 1 billion strong global community, an official statement said.
"Reinvention is constantly required in cricket, as it is required in life. From leading India on the field, to commentary, to advising an IPL team, to now joining Instagram, I continue being connected with people who're passionate about this amazing sport. I hope to engage with young fans by sharing valuable insights on cricketing events and encourage them to join me in causes close to my heart," Ganguly was quoted as saying in the statement.
"As I turn another year older today, I want to make this a year where I give back to my fans. So here's to birthdays and new beginnings," the former skipper captioned his first image on Instagram where he is seen cutting a cake.
Ganguly, better known as 'Dada' in the cricket fraternity, has always been appreciated for his efforts in building the Indian team and nurturing young talents under his captaincy. Cricketers like Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Virendra Sehwag, and Mahendra Singh Dhoni made their debut under Ganguly's leadership.
Former India opening batsman Virender Sehwag wished his captain in a witty post on Twitter," Happy Birthday to a 56" Captain, Dada, Sourav Ganguly! 56-inch chest, 8th day of the 7th month, 8*7 = 56 and a World Cup average of 56.
#HappyBirthdayDada, May God Bless You!"
"Many more happy returns of the day @SGanguly99! Wish you even more success and love #HappyBirthdayDada," VVS Laxman tweeted.
"Happy Birthday to a man who brought about a fantastic transition in Indian cricket, a brilliant leader who backed guys he believed in to the fullest. But aise kaun chadhta hai, Dada @SGanguly99 #HappyBirthdayDada," Mohammad Kaif tweeted.
"Many happy returns of the day dada! The man who changed the face of Indian cricket. @SGanguly99 #HappyBirthdayDada," Pragyan Ojha tweeted.
Apart from helming the team, Ganguly played 311 ODIs and hammered 11363 runs in his celebrated career. He also capped in 113 Test matches and scored 7212 runs with an average of 42.17.
The left-handed batsman has 38 tons and 107 fifties in the ODI and Test games for India.
Ganguly made his ODI debut in 1992 and scored 3 runs in his first game against West Indies.
He led the Indian Test side that defeated Australia in 2001 and defied the odds to lift the Natwest Trophy in 2002. Under his captaincy, the Men in Blue became the runners-up of the 2003 World Cup, where the team faced defeat at the hands of Australia.
Ganguly retired from all formats of cricket in 2008, scoring a fearsome knock of 85 runs in his final test match against Australia.