Dada turns 49: Looking back at Sourav Ganguly's greatest achievements

Dada made his debut for India in 1992, took over as captain in 2000 and retired from international cricket in 2008

Sourav Ganguly, hailed as one of India's finest Test captains turns 49 today. 'Dada' as he is fondly known, has a whole list of achievements under his belt, from the 2002 ODI triumph in England, which led to the iconic shirtless celebration at Lord's to his 183 in the 1999 ICC Cricket World Cup, the highest score by an Indian on cricket's biggest stage.

Dada made his debut for India back in 1992, took over as captain in 2000, and retired from international cricket in 2008. He continued to feature in the Indian Premier League till 2012.

As he closes in on a half-century, here's a look at some of Ganguly's greatest accolades in his 16-year career as an India international.

Arguably his greatest achievement for Team India, Dada led the team to bag the trophy in the 2002 Natwest Tri-series. The team got comfortable wins against England and Sri Lanka and eventually beat the hosts in the final as India chased down a score of 325, thanks to a legendary partnership between Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif. India went into the Lord's Pavillion to celebrate and what followed on the balcony is etched into the memory of every Indian cricket fan. To date, Dada's shirtless celebration remains one of cricket's most iconic memories.

When it comes to individual records, Dada has no dearth of them. One that stands out is his 183 against Sri Lanka in the 1999 ICC World Cup, the highest from an Indian in cricket's magnum opus. The BCCI chief is one of just three captains to lead India into the final of a World Cup, which he did in 2003 against Australia.

Ganguly is hailed by many as India's finest Test captain and his record speaks for itself. His 42.85% win record is the third-highest for an Indian skipper and he was at the top during his tenure. His greatest win as Test captain was, of course, the 2-1 home triumph over Steve Waugh's indomitable Australia side that was on a record-breaking streak with 16 Test victories in a row. It was Dada's decision to send VVS Laxman up the order that changed everything. The Hyderabad-born batsman played his greatest innings and scored a sensational 281, spurring India to win the match and tie the series 1-1. They eventually won the series with victory in the next Test in Chennai.

Until last month, the 49-year-old held the record for the highest score on Test debut at Lord's. The 'Prince of Kolkata' had scored a impactful 131 in 1996 against hosts England. No cricketer debuting at the historic ground was able to match or break that record until New Zealand's Devon Conway, who scored 136 runs (not out) in the first Test against England last month.

And last but certainly not the least, Dada nurtured the likes of MS Dhoni, Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj Singh, all of whom went on to lift the ICC Cricket World Cup on that historic 2011 night at the Wankhede. "That (2011 World Cup-winning team) team had seven or eight players who started their careers under me. The likes of (Virender) Sehwag, Dhoni himself, Yuvraj (Singh), Zaheer (Khan), Harbhajan Singh, Ashish Nehra. So, I think that's a legacy which I was extremely happy to leave behind as a captain. And that was my biggest legacy, that I left a side which had the ability of winning at home and away from home,” Ganguly told CricketTimes.