Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly debuted for India during the tour of England in 1996.Reuters

This man needs no introduction and even if there is one, it is hard to describe him in words -- he, of course, goes by the name of Sourav Ganguly. The highly-decorated former India captain turned 44 on Friday.

'Dada' as he is popularly known, made his international debut during India's tour of England in 1996. Very few people must have forgotten the extraordinary innings he played in English conditions alongside Rahul Dravid. That innings was filled with majestic cover drives. It was indeed a memorable Test debut.

Ganguly took over the reins of the India cricket team in 2000 and the rest is history. After Mohammad Azharuddin, Ganguly was the prime contender to don the cap of the Indian cricket team captain and he aced in his duties quite royally. 

The legendary left-handed batsman played 113 Test matches for India, scoring 7212 runs at an average of 42.19. He also played 311 ODIs for India, scoring 11363 at an average of 41.02. He also has 38 international hundreds to his name.

As 'Dada' turns 44, twiteratti wished him on his birthday. Here are some of the tweets: