Top 16 Famous Cricketers From India
Who doesn’t love to talk about Cricket? Nothing compared to the excitement that a good cricket match has. A great century by Sachin Tendulkar will bring tears of joy to your eyes and, similarly, a humungous effort by Shoaib Akhtar will bang your head in frustration. Cricket is always an exciting game to be played or watched in the presence of a great crowd. Most of the fans and followers love cricket and are willing to come out on the roads when their favorite cricket players are going to play any tournament. People set records just because of their favorite players’ monumental centuries and almost teary speeches at award ceremonies. I guess you’re really serious about Cricket or otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this paragraph till the end.
India is over a century old. Cricket, on the other hand, is over 300 years old. Thus, it is impossible to catalog all famous cricketers that have come out of India; however, we will be able to capture a major portion. We might even save some extra time by not subscribing to more cricket updates from our favorite news portals such as BCCI or Cricbuzz, and in the process compiled a list of prominent Indian cricketers.
India has always been the hotbed of Cricket. The game of Cricket was first introduced in India by the Britishers and at that time it was just a leisure activity for the British. But, as time passed, Indians became so good at cricket that today India is called the cradle of Cricket, as most of the great cricketers come from there.
1. Sachin Tendulkar
The Indian cricket team has experienced an illustrious history, since its first test in 1932. Multiple sportsmen have been acknowledged and thanked for their services to cricket. One such player is Sachin Tendulkar, who was born on 24 April 1973, in a place called Mumbai, India. The 17-year old Sachin Tendulkar made history when he scored his first test century against Pakistan on 15 February 1989, making him the youngest player ever to achieve this feat. This made him the youngest member who played for the Indian national team. He holds several batting records including the highest number of runs in ODI matches and the number of centuries in Test matches. He has been awarded the titles of “Prince of Cricket” and “Master Blaster” by the Federal Council of Australia and New Zealand.
2. Kapil Dev
Kapil Dev is one of India’s best cricket players ever. During 1983, he helped the team win the Global Cup. He’s been named Player of the Tournament twice, once in 1982 and again in 1983 during the Wills Trophy series against Pakistan. A true all-rounder, Kapil Dev is one of India’s most successful captains. Besides being a quick bowler with such a right arm, he was also an excellent bat gamer.
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3. MS Dhoni
Born in Ranchi, Jharkhand on 7 July 1981, MS Dhoni is a former Indian cricketer. Known for his bravery, determination, and his exceptional leadership qualities, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s talent has brought him to the forefront of Indian cricket. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the world-record-breaking Indian cricket icon, currently holds several lucrative offers from several top international brands, and one of them might just be yours. He has over 15000 runs and was one of the main players in India’s 2011 World Cup win.
His statistics speak for themselves, contributing US$ 1.5 billion to the local economy through TV ratings, sponsorships, and endorsements.
4. Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Chandidas Ganguly is a cricketer with exceptional leadership and cricketing skills. He is now a retired cricketer who has been chairman of the Bengal Cricket Association from the year 2011. Sourav Chandidas Ganguly is an Indian cricketer who played exclusively for Bengal in domestic cricket. He is best known for leading India to victory in the first-ever Test match at home against England and for being the captain of the team that won the inaugural ICC ODI World Cup in Bangladesh in 1999.
From his days as a youngster in the streets of Kolkata to become renowned as one of the greatest cricketers of all time, Sourav Chandidas Ganguly has been a name people have talked about for decades.
Former Indian player Sourav Ganguly is popularly dubbed as Dada by his teammates. He is an immensely talented and versatile cricketer apart from being an excellent leader on the field.
5. Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir is a professional cricketer who began his career in 2003, making approximately 9000 runs in both Test and One Day matches. He was an opener with the Indian team from the start. Leaping forward to great heights, Gautam Gambhir is a former cricketer who was instrumental in changing the position of Indian opener.
He is a successful role model for budding young cricketers and opened the innings for India whenever he played. He was also renowned for his unique style of batting. In 2018, Gautam Gambhir bid adieu to his illustrious career. On social networking sites, his confrontational approach makes him popular with fans.
With the experience of more than 15 years in the Indian national team arena, he is one of India’s most experienced batsmen. He was part of many victories for India including winning the ICC World Cup 2007 and CB series 2008.
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6. Virat Kohli
With skills that are rarely seen anywhere in the world, Virat Kohli is becoming increasingly known for his prowess as a batsman. And since taking over as captain for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), he has been able to change the way his team plays. He was instrumental in the triumph, scoring about 973 runs all through the course of the competition. Virat Kohli is a power hitter who likes to play big and maul the opposition with his aggressive stroke-play.
At the recent ICC World Cup Twenty 20, Virat Kohli, Captain of the Indian Cricket team came up with some strategic moves that proved to be beneficial for India. They went on to become No.1 in the ICC rankings. This milestone hasn’t been broken in a very long time.
7. Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj Singh is an Indian cricketer and a former captain of the India national cricket team in all three formats of the game. Yuvraj Singh is a well-known cricketer, who has been playing for India since 2000. He has hit more than 11,000 runs in his ODI and Test career. Mr. Singh is the vice-captain of India’s cricket team. From 2013, he has been a member of the Royal Challengers Bangalore team. He is limited over specialist and an occasional bowler. He can play all types of shots with ease. His passion for cricket is evident from the fact that he has been won many awards like the Man of the Tournament and Player of the Match.
Yuvraj Singh is a cricketer who has won many honors for his national team. As well as being a fielder and bowler, he has also served as an all-rounder. Additionally, he has a presence on Facebook. Yuvraj is one of the most followed cricketers on Facebook with 6 million followers. Having played the pivotal role in helping India win the 2010 T20 World Cup, he was also awarded the man of the tournament trophy for scoring a record 200 runs in 5 matches at an average of 50.4.
8. Virendra Sehwag
Sadda Veeru, known for his aggressive exploits, got a triple 100 in a single innings during the 2012 India versus Australia test match. He is regarded as one of the best opening batsmen in contemporary cricket and his batting style is unique among the Indian players. Virender Sehwag is the second-highest run-scorer in One Day Internationals, with more than 10300 runs under his belt. He holds the record for being only the second man to have hit two triple centuries in Test cricket and also for scoring a triple ton in a single test inning. He started playing cricket at age of 16 and within a few years made his debut in international cricket for India against Kenya. A dynamic opening batsman, Virender Sehwag is widely regarded as one of the best and most destructive batsmen in world cricket. Across three formats, Sehwag has established himself as a formidable middle-order batsman equally capable of finishing off an innings. Whether you like to call him the Persian Blaster or the Titans of Tri-Series, Sehwag has well earned his reputation as an attacking batsman with a flair for big hits.
9. S. Sreesanth
S. Sreesanth born on 6 the month of February 1983 back in a city called Kerala, is an Indian former cricketer who played international cricket for the Indian national team. In 2005, he played his first Test match. Sreesanth took a total of 162 wickets in 161 matches before his ban from cricket and was named as one of India’s key players as they won the Cricket World Cup 2011. After several controversies, he was banned from all forms of the game by the BCCI for his alleged. His outstanding performances have also brought laurels to his team. Sreesanth was identified as a fast-bowling talent at a young age.
At the age of 15, he was spotted by Kumble at an Under–17 camp and recommended to the coach Rajkumar Sharma who asked for his whereabouts from the Kerala Cricket Association so that he could arrange a net session with him. Sreesanth began his career as a left-arm bowler. Despite being unsuccessful, he continued to develop, and according to his brother, this was due to the influence of Indian cricketer Anil Kumble.
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10. Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma is a famous cricketer from the state of Maharashtra. He has represented India in One-Day Internationals since 2008 and became India’s opening batsman in 2013. He has an average score of 38.86 and has the highest score of 228 not out, which he achieved against Australia on 26 November 2013. He has 12000 international runs at an average of 44.15 including two centuries and 23 fifties in ODI cricket. His nickname is “Hit-man” for his love for hitting long sixes with his bat.
Rohit Sharma is one of the few double century-makers of One Day International and a striking example of how success in cricket translates to social media fame. His outing is full of records and awards.
11. Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh Plaha (better known as Bhajji) is a right-arm off-break bowler for the Indian National team. He also bats in the lower order. Throughout his career, he has won many awards including the ICC Cricket World Player of the Year as well as being the number two all-time. He is currently India’s highest test wicket-taker and this year he played in his 100th test. The bandana is a marker that’s different and easily recognizable, which explains its use in his photos.
With more than 500 wickets at an average of 20.64, he’s become a role model for aspiring cricketers worldwide. On 27 December 2006, he took a hat-trick in an ODI match against Bangladesh at Indore, setting a new world record. A wicketkeeper-batsman, Harbhajan Singh Plaha is a former Indian cricketer and made his debut in 1999. He was a right-arm off-break bowler. Between 2000 and 2007, he was a key participant of the victorious National cricket team.
12. Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar seems to be the only cricketer to achieve 10,000 runs throughout Test matches. He was such a right-handed opener batter for India from 1971 to 1986. He was also Mumbai Cricket Association’s Joint Secretary from 1987 to 2000. He was director of cricket at the Indian Cricket Board from 2006-2008. Considered one of the greatest opening batsmen of all time, Sunil Gavaskar remained the most prolific batsman in Test cricket during his peak.
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13. VVS Laxman
Sachin Tendulkar, the world’s greatest cricketer, praised his teammate VVS Laxman as the best batsman he has ever played with by saying that he embraced some of his best shots from him.
For many cricketers, Laxman is considered the best batsman of his era. The IPL has been graced by his presence for many years and he will always be one of the most respected men in this format.
VVS Laxman played for India in tests from 1996 to 2012. As a result, he also became the first Bowler to be named number one throughout the ICC. Not only was a batsman, but Laxman was also an effective part-time bowler, with his off-break bowling being particularly effective. He ended his IPL career with 834 runs in 50 games at a strike rate of 132.56. He will be remembered as one of India’s timeless cricketers, and an absolute darling of the Indian Premier League.
14. Zaheer Khan
Zaheer Khan is a former Indian international cricketer who represented the national squad ever since 2000-14 in all formats. He has batted and bowled right-handed all his career. He was second only to Kapil Dev for India in terms of the number of wickets taken and also holds the record for becoming the fastest Indian to reach 100 ODI wickets, in just his 37th match – it took Kapil Dev over 100 matches to reach the same milestone.
An experienced Indian cricketer, Zaheer Khan has an impressive number of fans. Though his carrier has been marred by multiple injuries, Zaheer Khan is still considered one of the best pace bowlers in Indian history. Zaheer is one of the best Indian all-rounders/bowlers in cricket history and played a major role in the Indian cricket victory in the 2011 T20 World Cup.
15. Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble has taken the third-most wickets in Test sporting history. Apart from wickets, he also managed to gather 619 catches as a slip fielder. He represents Karnataka at the domestic level and has led his team for three years. Anil Kumble is an Indian cricketer and a right-arm leg-break bowler. He has played for 18 years for the country, including six as the captain from 2000 until 2004. During his quarter-final for India versus Pakistan around 2007, he broke the record for most Test wickets taken. Anil Kumble is an extremely professional sportsman. His specialty lies in bowling off-breaks and flippers.
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16. Rahul Dravid
A true sportsman, Rahul Sharad Dravid ranks among the most talented batsmen in the history of cricket. He was indeed a genuine model professional and is widely recognized as a real team player. Rahul Sharad Dravid is a former opening batsman who represented India for 17 years. He was well-known for his cool manner and propensity to routinely hit runs in either Test as well as one cricket. He became an outstanding batter who amassed over 25000 runs during international cricket.
Dravid, Rahul Sharad, is now a Bowler who represented his country from 1996 until 2013. Competitors have referred to him as being one of the finest batters of his history on numerous occasions. He holds multiple records, including the record for the highest individual score in first-class cricket; an unbeaten 311 scored playing for Baroda against Gujarat in January 1998.
Rising through the ranks of his youth, Dravid progressed into one of India’s greatest batsmen alongside teammates Sachin Tendulkar and Anil Kumble.
Main Image Source: Pixabay
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