New Delhi, Jul 8 (IANS): Former captain Sourav Ganguly, famously known as 'Dada of Indian cricket' is celebrating his 52nd birthday on Monday.

Also known as 'Prince of Kolkata', Ganguly is widely celebrated as one of India's most accomplished cricketers, renowned for his role in nurturing numerous successful players such as MS Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, and Zaheer Khan.

The 'Dada' of Indian cricket became captain in 2000, four years after his memorable Test debut century at Lord's in 1996 and began grooming young talents like Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif and testing them under pressure.

Under Ganguly's leadership, India famously won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2-1 against Australia at home. An iconic moment occurred in 2002 when 'Dada' removed his jersey on the Lord's balcony after India’s dramatic comeback victory against England in the NatWest Trophy final. He then led India to the final of the 2003 ODI World Cup, where they were defeated by Australia.

Ganguly also led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) during his time in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the franchise wished their former captain and captioned their post on X, "Maharaja. Dada. The Prince of Kolkata. Happy Birthday, Sourav Ganguly."

"A big hand of this guy in development of #IndianCricketTeam where we are today. A very #HAPPYBIRTHDAY legend @SGanguly99 Wishing you healthy life ahead #Dada," Munaf Patel said.

"You are, you were and you will always be an inspiration. Love you Dada and wishing you a very Happy Birthday," former cricketer Manoj Tiwary said.

Ganguly announced his retirement from international cricket in 2008 and played in the Indian Premier League until 2012. He featured in 113 Tests and 311 ODIs for India, amassing 18,575 international runs.

He later became a cricket administrator, first leading the Cricket Association of Bengal and then serving as the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.