New Delhi [India], July 8 (ANI): Ex-Indian cricketers Yuvraj Singh, Mohammed Kaif and Sourav Ganguly took to social media to extend their birthday wishes to legendary former captain Sourav Ganguly.

Ganguly, who took Indian cricket to new heights and instilled a fearless, to-win at-all-costs mentality in the Indian cricket team following the match-fixing saga in the early 2000s, turned 53 on Tuesday.

Yuvraj, who turned into a world-class talent under the leadership of Ganguly, posted an Instagram story for the team's 'dada', captioned, 'Wishing a very happy birthday to the dada of Indian cricket who always backed his boys, took on the world and boldly changed Indian cricket forever. Lots of Love always.'

Kaif, another batter who represented India in 13 Tests and 125 ODIs and was a crucial asset to the Dada's 'class of early 2000s', called Ganguly a player who had 'a rare eye for talent and the courage to back it'.

'Wishing a very Happy Birthday to the man who had a rare eye for talent and the courage to back it Thank you Dada for changing Indian cricket forever So loved, so respected yet so humble,' he posted on his official X handle.

https://x.com/MohammadKaif/status/1942473712256643399

Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina, who debuted during the final years of Ganguly as an international cricketer back in 2005, also posted, 'Wishing a very Happy Birthday to @SGanguly99 Dada! Your leadership changed the face of Indian cricket & inspired generations to believe in themselves. Thank you for always showing us how to lead with courage and heart. Have a fantastic year ahead, Dada! #HappyBirthdayDada.'

https://x.com/ImRaina/status/1942528198912188424

Ganguly was noted for his distinct leadership style throughout his time on the pitch. In the summer of 1996, he made his Test debut against England, earning the nickname 'Dada'. He quickly made headlines after scoring a century in his first Test at Lord's, and the 'Prince of Kolkata' then went on to smash a ton in the second Test, becoming the third batter in history to make a hundred in each of his first two innings.

In 2000, the Team India camp got trapped in a match-fixing scandal. Ganguly was then appointed the captain of the side, where he started grooming new talent. Ganguly led India to the finals of the 2000 ICC Knockout Trophy for the first time. Another Team India milestone came in 2001 when the Ganguly-led side defeated Australia 2-1 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

The Australian team, captained by Steve Waugh, challenged India to follow on in the series, but VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid staged one of the greatest comebacks in Indian cricket history. The former India captain's most memorable moment was definitely when he stripped off his shirt on the Lord's balcony when India famously beat England from the jaws of defeat in the Natwest Trophy finals in 2002.

Ganguly also led India to the World Cup finals in 2003, where they narrowly lost to Australia in the championship game. In 2004, he also oversaw an ODI and Test series in Pakistan. The Test series triumph was India's first on Pakistani soil.

'Dada' also had a memorable spat with then-coach Greg Chappell in 2005-6, after the 'Prince of Kolkata' was left out of the Team India squad. Ganguly, on the other hand, worked his way back into the team and recorded a fifty-plus score in Johannesburg.

He last played a Test against Australia in Nagpur in 2008. He played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) until 2012, when he retired from domestic cricket. 'Dada' played 113 Tests and 311 One-Day Internationals for India. In his international career, the left-handed batsman amassed 18,575 runs across all formats.

In the long format, Sourav played 113 matches. He scored 7,212 runs at an average of 42.17. He smashed 16 centuries and 35 half-centuries in 188 innings, with the best score of 239. He is the seventh-highest run-scorer for India in Test cricket.

He smashed a century on his Test debut against England at the Lord's in 1996. As a captain, he led India in 49 matches. Out of this, India won 21 matches, lost 13 and drew 15 matches. With a win percentage of 42.85, he is one of the most successful captains for India.

Ganguly has also represented India in 311 ODIs, scoring 11,363 runs at an average of 41.02. He has scored 22 centuries and 72 half-centuries in 300 innings, with the best score of 183. He is India's third-highest ODI run-getter. He led India to 147 ODI matches, winning 76, losing 66 and five failed to produce results. In ODIs, he had a win percentage of 51.70. (ANI)