In India, cricket and politics both are very important to its citizens and they even resemble each other in many ways. In the late 2010s it was even said that prime minister Modi’s government and the national cricket team resembled each other as they are run using similar methods. Over the years many cricketers have chosen a career in politics after retiring from the pitch and their popularity as leading sports figures has definitely helped them gain votes of their loyal fans.
There is a fanaticism around the game of cricket and it has even become a type of religion to many fans who shower love on their favourite players and teams and firmly believe that no other team deserves to win. The hero worship that famous Indian cricket players receive gives them a solid starting point for a career in politics and makes them appeal to voters as their names are instantly recognised among the general population.
These former cricketers turned politicians do not do it for the prestige that a position in government offers, they genuinely want to contribute to the well being of India’s citizens and leverage their fame to improve public welfare and contribute to the evolution of a better society.
They come well equipped to hold important political positions as their skills that were learned on the cricket pitch are easily transferable to a government office. They have extensive experience dealing with the media, making public appearances, can effectively run teams, and remain calm and composed under pressure which means that they can respond effectively to high stress situations with poise and intelligence.
Cricket Legends Who Transitioned From Playing on The Sports Field to The Political Arena
Many famous Indian cricketers have exchanged the bat and cricket pitch for a spot behind the podium in a political position. There is a growing trend among Indian cricketers who once they retire from sport have chosen to pursue a political career. As well known sporting personalities, they have acquired the support and trust of their loyal fans and have used their fame and influence to transition into successful political careers. Explore the stories of several famous Indian cricketers who joined politics:
Mohammed Azharrudin had a long career that ran from 1984 to 2000 and was one of the most successful leaders of the Indian national team. There were many ups and downs over the course of his cricket career. He was a prolific batter and had 9378 runs during his sports career and he was one of the most featured batters during his career. His fans thought that he would play at least one hundred tests for the national team, unfortunately his career ended in a scandal around suspected match fixing. His career ended at ninety-nine tests and he was banned from participating in any cricket matches in 2000. In 2009, he ran for a spot in congress and served between May 2009 and May 2014. He was then appointed as the President of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee and continues to serve as a state party leader. His cricket ban was ruled illegal in 2012 and there was a Bollywood film called “Azhar” which tells the story of his life and was released in May 2016.
The son of the former chief minister of Bihar, Kirti Azad’s cricket career included seven tests and 25 ODIs and he was one of the members of the winning world cup team (the first world cricket world cup that was won by India) on 25 June 1983. He retired from professional cricket in 1986 and pursued a career as a television broadcaster. In 2014, he entered the political arena winning a seat in the Indian national congress as a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He has a turbulent political career and was even suspended in 2015 when he openly targeted the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley about irregularities and open corruption in the Delhi and District Cricket Association. He is still an active politician.
Gautam Gambhir a left handed batter played a crucial role in bringing the 2011 Indian team to world cup triumph. He claims that the current prime minister Narenda Modi inspired him to pursue a career in politics. He became a member of the BLP in 2019 and served as a politician until 2024. He has since returned to his beloved game of cricket and where he is a coach and mentor to the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Harbhajan Singh was nicknamed the “Turbantor” due to his exceptional ability to spin bowls during cricket games and the deadly partnership that he built with Anil Kumble on cricket pitches that had a reputation as being batter friendly. He was also part of the winning T20 2007 World cup team. He played for the international cricket team between from 1998 to 2016 before retiring and pursuing a career in politics in 2017 where he strongly supported several social and political issues in the country. He is deeply interested in improving society and he is proof that sports celebrities can use their fame to create positive changes to society.
Navjot Singh Sidhu started his career as part of the world cup winning 1983 Indian international team. He was an exceptional batsman and played fifty one test matches and participated in 134 ODIs. Once he retired in 1998 after nineteen years of professional cricket, he became famous for another reason. He served as a judge on different comedy based reality shows where he enlarged his fan base and became quite wealthy. Sidhu is known for his charisma and in 2004 his political career began by joining the Bharatiya Janata Party. He won two Lok Sabha elections. He resigned from his post in 2016 and then in 2017 became a member of the national congress He was elected to serve as a member of the Punjab Legislative Assembly from Amritsar East a position that he still holds.
