Indian cricket is replete with stories of players who, despite coming from simple backgrounds, made a big name. Beyond the glitz and glamour, there are many stories of struggles of the players. Some got lost in this arduous journey and their cricketing dreams gave way to poverty, but there were others who touched milestones and managed to achieve their goals.
After the introduction of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the year 2008, cricketers got a chance to make their dreams come true as well as earn a lot of money. From Chetan Sakaria to T Natarajan, there are many heartwarming tales of Indian cricketers who have overcome all odds and achieved the feat. In the last two decades, many players in Indian cricket came from simple backgrounds. Today we will take a look at 5 Indian players who did not let poverty become a hindrance in their path and achieved fame.
MS Dhoni
Born in Ranchi, Bihar (now in Jharkhand), MS Dhoni had to work very hard to fulfill his cricketing dream. His father was a pump operator in Doranda area of Ranchi. Mahendra Singh Dhoni had to work as a Train Ticket Examiner (TTE) at Kharagpur railway station in West Bengal for a few years in the early 2000s. However, he did not stop chasing the dream of becoming an international cricketer.
During his TTE job, he got a chance to represent the South Eastern Railway (SER) cricket team. Dhoni checked train tickets and also played cricket. He also participated in several tennis-ball cricket tournaments. According to the book ‘MSD, The Man, The leader’, Dhoni used to get Rs 2000 per match.
When he made his debut in international cricket, some people doubted his talent, but it was only for a short time. He silenced the critics with his performance and captaincy skills. Apart from leading the Indian team to the 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup victories, Dhoni has also helped Chennai Super Kings (CSK) win 4 IPL trophies.
Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya was not associated with luxury far and wide until he became one of the star all-rounders of the world. Hardik’s father Himanshu used to do a small business in Surat. He had to shut it down and shifted to Vadodara to provide better cricket facilities to his sons Hardik and Krunal. Despite financial difficulties, Himanshu managed to get his sons enrolled in Kiran More’s cricket academy.
A few years back, Hardik had said in an interview to The Indian Express that he used to eat Maggi worth five rupees for breakfast and lunch for almost a year, as he did not have money for proper food. Hardik and Krunal used to play in local tournaments for Rs 400-500. The good times began when Hardik was bought by Mumbai Indians for one million rupees in the IPL 2015 auction. He recently took charge of Gujarat Titans (GT) in IPL 2022 and made the team the champions in the very first time.
Ravindra Jadeja
Team India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was born in a middle-class Rajput family in Jamnagar, Gujarat. His father worked as a watchman. At the age of 17, his mother passed away. He was completely broken after losing his mother. After that his sister took over the responsibility of maintaining the family.
Since Jadeja’s mother was a nurse in a government hospital, the family lived in a one-room flat. That flat was allotted to him. Jadeja focused on sports to overcome the grief of losing her mother at an early age. He was selected for the India Under-19 team in 2005.
He was the vice-captain when India won the 2008 Under-19 World Cup. Jadeja was also a part of the Rajasthan Royals (RR) team that won the IPL in 2008. After coming a long way, today he is the first choice in the playing XI of any Indian team.
Jasprit Bumrah
Team India’s leading fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah was just five years old when his father died. His mother had to face many difficulties to raise the cricketer. In a video shared by his IPL franchise Mumbai Indians in 2019, Jasprit Bumrah told that when he was a kid, he used to have only one pair of shoes and one pair of T-shirt.
He did not have the money to buy two pairs. This was the reason that he used to wash them daily and wear them. There was a change in his lifestyle after getting selected in the IPL. He made his IPL debut in 2013 at the age of 19. After that it is all history.
Mohammed Shami
Mohammed Shami is a resident of Sahaspur in Almora district of Uttar Pradesh. He had revealed after completing 200 Test wickets during the series in South Africa that his father used to cycle 30 kms every day and take him to coaching camps. His father used to do this because his village did not have proper facilities for cricket training.
Mohammed Shami’s father was a farmer. He himself was a fast bowler in his youth. He knew that Shami could not fulfill his dream of becoming a cricketer by living in the village. That’s why Shami moved to Kolkata and reached the top against all odds.