Hello Readers! Since the IPL has ended and the T20 World Cup has begun, I have resumed my obsession with the sport cricket. I thought that I must write something related to cricket and I thought of talking about my favorite cricketers that made me love the sport even more. Watching all these cricketing legends is quite fun to watch yet there is one thing that I also take away from each one of my heroes. Do tell me your list of cricketers or any sportspersons in the comments.
1. Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar a.k.a Sunny Gavaskar (played from 1971-1987) is someone whom I consider as one of the best batsmen of all time. Back then, when Gavaskar played cricket, there were no helmets, powerplays, limited bouncers, etc. Sunil Gavaskar wore a white Panama cricket hat and started playing. In fact, the then bowlers were extremely tall and they could bowl multiple bouncers which scared the batsmen. The batsmen’s t-shirts were smudged with the bouncers they faced by the tall and bulky bowlers from the West Indies. Another fun fact I heard about Gavaskar was that a day before he debuted, a small ice cube created a problem inside Sunil Gavaskar had asked a teammate to pour a pitcher of ice-cold water down his throat at the end of a grueling training session. A small piece of ice got lodged in a tooth cavity, starting off spasms of excruciating pain that dogged him throughout the match. This means whenever I am doing something and I am in pain then I will remember Gavaskar’s ice-in-tooth story in such situations.
2. Sachin Tendulkar
Now if I am talking about my favorite cricketers, then how can I not forget the God of Cricket, Sachin Tendulkar (played from 1989-2013). Sachin Tendulkar for me is not just a god but a cricketing superhero as well. I look at his elegant and classy batting styles like his backfoot straight drives, cover drives, flick shots. Tendulkar being another short-heightened batsman like Gavaskar also happened to defeat the tallest and the strongest bowlers in the world. When Sachin played the second test of his cricketing career. His nose was destroyed by a bouncer bowled by Waqar Younis who was a dangerous fast bowler from Pakistan. His white-colored cricket shirt was covered in blood, the Pakistani players sledged him to go back as he was too young to play since he was just 15 years old and even the teammates suggested that he should go back to the pavilion and come back after a few wickets. The Master Blaster Tendulkar stood on the pitch saying ‘Main Khelega’ (‘I’ll Play’). After wiping off the blood, Sachin Tendulkar scored 57* runs not out. The two key takeaways from Sachin Tendulkar would be to be humble no matter how great you are as a player and the second one would be to be tough and never give up just like he never gave up during Waqar Younis’ bouncer.
3. MS Dhoni
Mahendra Singh Dhoni or MS Dhoni (played from 2004-2019) is someone that I consider to be the greatest captain of Indian cricket as he is the one and only captain to bring India to win the T20 World Cup of 2007, the 2011 ODI World Cup, and the 2013 Champions Trophy. Whenever I see Dhoni on-field during any of the India matches or the IPL matches, he looks extremely calm, composed, and chilled out, and after a few moments, you see Captain Cool finishing off the match. I will never forget how Dhoni finished off India vs Bangladesh Semi-Final with the run-out after an almost no-win situation. One more thing that I appreciate about him is that when his team loses he walks in the front and takes responsibility for it and when his team wins, he doesn’t take the whole credit and walks behind the team during a victory. One takeaway from MS Dhoni would be to stay calm and stay cool.
4. Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj Singh (playing from 2000-) is my favorite left-handed batsman. I always enjoyed his hard-hitting batting style and his style of hitting those shots was extremely fun to watch. I do remember hearing that Yuvraj Singh batted and bowled through the entire 2011 world cup while having cancer and ended up winning Man Of The Series for the 2011 World Cup. And how to not forget his 6 sixes, even though I was a baby when this happened but even when I watched that 6 sixes masterpiece, I am in that hype thinking that the 6 sixes moment is happening in front of me. Just like Yuvi, I always try to think that I can face any tough situation. In fact, whenever I have a math exam, the day before is spent watching Yuvraj Singh’s 6 sixes in a row which gives me the confidence to give the math exam without fear. For the upcoming exams that I am going to have, I will spend 5 minutes watching the 6 sixes.
5. AB De Villiers
AB De Villiers (played from 2004-2018) was a former South African captain and player, AB De Villiers still plays the IPL for the Royal Challengers Bangalore which means that it gives me more chances to watch Mr. 360 bat. AB De Villiers holds the record for the faster century, half-century, and the quickest 150 in international cricket. The reason is that when ABD walks on the field, he looks like he has no fear of getting out and hitting the ball and is waiting to hit the next ball. I also like the fact of how he has fun with his kids or how he has fun with his teammates after every game. My takeaway from De Villiers is to simply stay confident and play your A-game without any fear of failing.
6. Brett Lee
Brett Lee (played from 2000-2015) was a former Australian fast-bowler. Lee is still my favorite bowler and I always try to attempt his crazy ultimate yorkers every time I play cricket. I always watch Brett Lee’s bowling whenever I feel bored, just for the sake of entertainment and I always wondered how this man could bowl at the speed of 160 kilometers per hour and how could he take 300+ international wickets. Besides the sporting aspect, I am envious of Brett Lee’s clever and witty sense of humor that makes him goofy and funny as a person.
7. Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes (playing from 2011) is my favorite all-rounder ever. Just like Stokes, I too am a left-handed batsman and a right-arm fast-bowler. Whenever there was an India vs England match, I waited to watch Ben Stokes and others like Jonny Bairstow, Jos Butler, and Joe Root. I was looking forward to Ben Stokes’s bowling and batting all the time. And I obviously could not forget how he became the World Cup hero for England in 2019. Ben Stokes will be one of my favorite all-rounders of all time ever.
8. Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli (playing from 2008) is my favorite batsman ever. He may look aggressive on-field but at the end of the match, he is the post-match-gentleman. I look up to Virat Kohli for his dedication to fitness. Getting low runs to getting the highest runs requires a lot of mental determination and that is why I look up to him. I also try copying Virat Kohli’s flick shots, backfoot punches, and excellent cover drive. Virat Kohli is my favorite batsman ever and I like his quick pace while running between the wickets.
These are my favorite cricketers. I have learned a lot of them and I also have tried imitating their cricketing shots. Hope you liked this blog and I am sure you might have some of your favorite cricketers that match in this list
Thank you and stay safe
-Chinmay
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