Cricket is not just any other sport in India, but is a religion, and many cricketers are worshipped as god. Every kid, at some point in time, must have dreamt of playing cricket for the country. While some fulfilled this dream, some could not even get started due to various reasons.
There are many players who have represented India and have kept the flag flying high. Few of them have made a special place in every Indian’s heart, thanks to their distinct contributions to Indian cricket. A list of a few impactful players is as follows:
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Sachin Tendulkar
No need to introduce the man who took Indian cricket to great heights, Sachin Tendulkar. He revolutionised the way team India batted, and the whole cricketing world started looking at team India with respect. Sachin made sure that no team could take us lightly, or they would have to pay a price for the same. The 2 innings at Sharjah where he smashed Aussie bowlers around the park showed the skills and supreme confidence of the man.
Tendulkar has always been a fierce competitor, who made his debut at the tender age of 16, and ended up with nearly 35,000 international runs to his name. Sachin became a force to reckon with in the 90s, where bowlers knew that they were going to face a tough challenge when bowling to the ‘Master Blaster’.
By 2011, Tendulkar had achieved so much in his career, but a world cup had always eluded him. With 2011 to be held in India, hopes were high, and the Indian team did not disappoint. Sachin finally got his hands on the most coveted trophy and saw his dream come to reality. He is the highest run-scorer in both tests and ODIs, with 15,921 and 18,426 runs respectively. Among all his records, Sachin became the first male cricketer to score a double century in ODI cricket. In a decorated 24-year international career, Sachin played many innings that will stay close to every Indian’s heart. He played his 200th and last test in Mumbai against Mumbai, ending his international career and leaving his fans in tears and hearts full of memories.
MS Dhoni
Captain Cool of Indian cricket, MS Dhoni could do no wrong, and even if he did, he used to stay calm as a cucumber. He became one of the most liked cricketers after his first few knocks in international cricket. Dhoni took on the bowlers with no fear at all, and managed to make his presence felt at the crease. Dhoni became the MS Dhoni in 2007 T20 World Cup, where he captained team India to a famous tournament victory. India became the first team to win the T20 world cup. He didn’t stop there, he made sure that India’s 28-year wait came to an end, when they won the 50-over world cup in 2011.
MS Dhoni also led team India to number 1 ranking in test cricket. In his illustrious career as a captain, Dhoni also won the Champions trophy in 2013, and remains the only captain to win all the ICC trophies – Cricket World Cup, T20 World Cup, and Champions Trophy.
Not only was Dhoni a great captain, he was a great batter and a swift wicket-keeper. A player who could do a job of three, and that too with perfection, Dhoni would certainly be impossible to replace.
In 2014, MS Dhoni decided to retire from Test cricket and left the limited-overs captaincy in 2017. He made sure that Virat Kohli was groomed properly for the captainship role.
Also Read: History of T20 Cricket World Cup: A Walk through the Past
Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli is the poster boy of Indian cricket for quite a while now. Kohli first made a name for himself in 2008, where he led the under-19 team to a world cup win. At a senior international stage, Kohli grabbed all the attention when he played a sensational knock against Sri Lanka in Australia. He stamped his authority with that knock, and then later in the Asia Cup smashed a quality Pakistan bowling line up with his innings of 183.
After MS Dhoni left captaincy, Kohli was the man to lead team India. In his captaincy reign, Virat defeated Aussies in tests in their own backyard. He brought an aggressive brand of cricket, where team India players played fearlessly and with absolute clarity. Kohli managed to take team India to the final of 2017 ICC Champions Trophy and semi-final of 2019 World Cup. He is breaking most batting records with ease, and it won’t come as a surprise if he ends becoming the leading run-scorer in all formats of the game.
Virat Kohli is no more the captain of team India in any format, and is currently representing the country in 2022 ICC T20 World Cup, Australia.
Kapil Dev
Kapil Dev, India’s first world cup winning captain, is the greatest all-rounder that India has ever produced. There have been many promising all-rounders after Kapil Dev, but no one has matched the potential of Dev. Being the first Indian captain to win a cricket world cup, Kapil Dev will always hold a special place in every Indian’s heart.
Kapil Dev was a genuine fast bowler who could swing the ball both ways. He was great with the bat as well, and his amazing innings of 175 not out against Zimbabwe is considered as the greatest ODI innings of all time. Kapil Dev retired in 1994, and was awarded as the Indian cricketer of the century in 2002.
You can see Kapil Dev doing commentary for Star Sports Hindi network.
Sunil Gavaskar
When the world cricket feared the West Indies bowling attack, a little man from Mumbai, Sunil Gavaskar, owned them with 774 runs from just 4 tests, and that too on his debut tour. There was no doubt that the man is going to be a legend, a status which he eventually got.
Sunil Gavaskar was the first man to score 10,000 runs in test cricket and held the record for most Test centuries (34), before Tendulkar broke it. His technique was immaculate; the average of 51.12 shows why. Post retirement. Gavaskar has been ICC Match Referee, chairman of ICC Cricket Commitee, BCCI President, commentator, and analyst.
Sunil Gavaskar is currently working as a commentator with the Star Sports network for T20 World Cup 2022.
The T20 World Cup 2022 is currently going on in Australia, and you can watch above-mentioned cricketers in action in some form or the other. If you are an avid sports betting or cricket betting lover, you can get onto the Uwin Sports platform, and receive Uwin bonus and enjoy best of Uwin promotions.
FAQs
- When did India win the first cricket world cup?
India won the first cricket world cup in 1983 under the leadership of Kapil Dev.
- Where can I do cricket betting during the ICC T20 cricket world cup?
You can choose a trusted online cricket betting platform, Uwin to do cricket betting.
- Can India win the T20 world cup 2022?
Team India is already through to the semi-finals and have a strong chance to win the trophy.