Cricketers work hard to become one of the best players in the world. Once they attain that spot, they turn out to role models. Meanwhile, in India, cricket is religiously followed by 130 crores of people and they literally worship the players. They follow the game very passionately and comes down hard on the cricketers if India lose any match. As a result, being in a cricketer’s shoe in a country like India is a challenging task as well.
Meanwhile, everyone dreams to play for the country but only a handful of them manage to make it to the side. It requires a lot of hard work, determination and the hunger to succeed. At times, cricketers are rewarded with government jobs for their immense contribution to the sport. There are only a handful of Indian cricketers who have government jobs.
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Here we look at the 6 Indian cricketers who have government jobs:
1. Umesh Yadav
Team India fast bowler Umesh Yadav, after making impressive gains in international cricket, has also landed himself with a government job. Before the Champions Trophy, the RBI officer came and did the formality. In July before Sri Lankan tour, Yadav was made the RBI assistant manager. Meanwhile, it was a long-cherished dream of his father, who wanted his son to do a government job. Umesh had earlier prepared for the post of a constable but missed the test by a whisker.
Meanwhile, the Vidarbha Express, as he is popularly known, has represented 46 Test matches, 75 One day international matches, and seven T20Is scalping 259 international wickets. While he looks to be on the wrong foot of India’s limited-overs side, Umesh is keen to cement his berth in the red-ball format of the game.
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2. Joginder Sharma
Joginder Sharma is famous for his last over in the inaugural edition of the World T20 held in South Africa during 2007 against Pakistan. Sharma led India to a famous win in the final over in the title clash. He was handed the final over by MS Dhoni and held his nerves helping India winning the title by 5 runs.
Despite achieving success in a short span, Joginder’s cricketing career didn’t last too long. Currently, Sharma is a DSP in Haryana Police. He has been one of the frontline workers in the state in the fight to the coronavirus pandemic which has had a massive toll on the human lives.
Recently, the former cricketer admitted that working for the betterment of human lives in much ahead than winning the World Cup. Joginder has earned praise from all quarters for his relentless fight to make this world a better place to live.
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KL Rahul
The flamboyant Team India opener KL Rahul has turned the tide in his favour in grand fashion in the last few months. After a string of low score which saw him lose his Test spot last year, Rahul has returned with a bang with consistent runs in the limited-overs. And currently, he is one of the mainstays of India’s batting.
Ever since Rahul donned the wicket-keeping gloves earlier this year in 2020, Rahul has become more explosive as a batsman. The cricketer from Karnataka did exceedingly well in the series against New Zealand finishing as one of the top run-getters in his side.
Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had roped him much earlier before he became a household face among the Indian fans. Soon after he promoted RBI in an advertisement, the financial institution offered him the post of assistant manager. He is one of the Indian cricketers who is also a government official.
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4. Sachin Tendulkar
Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar is one of the greatest cricketers of all time to serve Indian cricket. He has scored 100 centuries in international cricket which looks nearly impossible to break along with a plethora of other records. The master blaster has played 200 Test matches and 463 One day international matches. He retired from all formats playing his last Test at his home ground in Mumbai against West Indies.
He was honoured with the post of Group Captain in the Indian Air Force in 2010 for his immense contribution to the game. To get honorary group captain of Indian Air force was a great honour for this great cricketer. He was also a Member of Parliament along with doing various kind of social works for the betterment of the society through various NGO’s.
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5. MS Dhoni
Former India skipper MS Dhoni is arguably the best India skipper to play the game. Apart from his craft with the bat and behind the stumps, Dhoni had the best game reading abilities. He is also the only skipper in history to win three ICC titles – 2007 World T20, ICC World Cup in 2011, and the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013.
Coming from Jharkhand, Dhoni made a name for himself with his smart wicket-keeping and finishing abilities. When he gets going with the bat he is difficult to stop with his brutal power. Meanwhile, after his 2011 World Cup final heroics, he was conferred the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel by the Indian territorial army in 2011. Dhoni is one of the few Indian cricketers who hold respectable government jobs.
He has trained with the army quite a few times and last year, he served the occupation for two weeks after he took a sabbatical from cricket after India’s ouster from the World Cup. Since then, MS Dhoni has not played any kind of cricket and his retirement speculations are on an all-time high.
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6. Kapil Dev
Former India skipper Kapil Dev is one of the best all-rounders to have played for India. He represented the country for 18 years from 1978-1995. During his stint with the Indian team, Kapil scalped 434 wickets in 131 matches (227 innings).
He is also the first Indian captain to win the World Cup held in 1983 at the famous Lord’s stadium. Apart from 131 Test matches, Kapil Dev also played in 225 ODI Matches scoring 3783 runs and taking 253 wickets. His best score was 175 not out in the 1983 World Cup against Zimbabwe.
He became a lieutenant colonel in Indian army in 2008. The first Indian captain to lift the World Cup trophy is also the first Indian cricketer to get this honorary post. The World Cup winner is one of the Indian cricketers who is also a top-level government official.