Kolkata, July 07: The cake is ready, the candles are in place. The 'Prince of Kolkata' turns 31 on Tuesday. But the party started on Sunday and will go on till his birthday. As for the why, the southpaw batsman’s wife Dona explains Sourav’s three-day high. ‘‘Sourav just can’t get over his childhood memories. And what better occasion to take a trip down memory lane than one’s birthday?’’


But while Sourav’s wife is at home with the birthday mood, the man himself could not be contacted because he was out playing football. What’s up? ‘‘Sourav harboured dreams of being a footballer before shifting to cricket. As of now, Sourav and his friends are practising hard to win a gali match,’’ informs Jim Brown, his sports teacher at school. Apart from having a ball by scoring goals, Sourav wants to ‘‘relive his passion’’ for playing the drums, meeting school and college pals, and visiting his ancestral home. ‘‘Ever since Sourav has made it big, we have been looking forward to him visiting the place where he grew up,’’ says Sourav’s uncle Debashish Ganguly, ‘‘Now, he is finally making the trip!’’



By the way, Sourav is dressed for the occasion in a black shirt and grey denims. ‘‘Black is his favourite colour,’’ says Dona.


When it’s time to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ tomorrow, among those expected to be present are Sourav’s bat manufacturer Jatin Sarin; flautist Hari Prasad Chaurasia; astrologer Kusum Bhandari; friend Jaydeep Mukherjee; and uncle Debashish Ganguly. Meanwhile, birthday wishes have already flown in from Yuvraj Singh, Parthiv Patel, Sanjay Bangar, Zaheer Khan and coach John Wright. Family, friends and fun? Well, as he turns 31, that’s all the more reason for Sourav to grin from ear to (y)ear!