8 cricketers and their unique childhood stories

We know cricketers for their exploits on the field. When they play for their country or in the Indian Premier League (IPL), they are followed by millions of people. More often than not, they are figures of inspiration.We follow cricket stars in the matches, on social medi,a but ever wonder what these legends may have been like as children?Some were shy and quite, and some had their share of limelight early on. For several of them, cricket happened out of the blue while for others, the sport was their only dream. The stars have battled money, distance and several obstacles to be where they are now.Here is a look at some of the biggest names in cricket and their unique childhood stories:

#1 Rohit Sharma

Hitman Sharma is the first to have two ODI double centuries

The stylish batsman from Mumbai is known for his elegant strike and lofty sixes. However, it was no easy ride for him.

Rohit’s father, Gurunath Sharma had lost his job after the transport company he worked for shut shop. They were fighting financial troubles and luckily Swami Vivekananda International School gave him a scholarship, where Sharma’s coach Dinesh Lad also used to work.

He took the little boy under his wings and began to coach him. One day while walking on the streets, they spotted a luxury sedan in his locality.

“Sir, main yeh gaadi khareedoonga (Sir, I will buy this car),” he declared. His coach dismissed the boy by asking him to focus on his cricket, and not be distracted by cars.

Now, Rohit Sharma is an integral part of the Indian team in the shorter format. Interestingly, he owns that very car, along with several other cool wheels.

The Mumbaikar surely knew how to dream big!

#2 Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh hit six consecutive sixes in a T20 World Cup match

Yuvraj Singh is the epitome of inspiration and courage. From being India’s flamboyant cricketer to the braveheart who survived cancer, he has done it all.

The batting star who is known for his aggressive shots and was the highest scorer in the 2011 World Cup, never wanted to play cricket professionally.

As a child Yuvi was into sports like tennis, football and skating. He admitted in interviews that he did not like the idea of playing any sport in the hot sun. He wanted to be a professional skater and had won gold for the country in the Under-14 Skating Championship.

However, his father Jograj Singh sent him for cricket training and there was no looking back.

The handsome youth icon has also acted in Punjabi films like Mehndi Sajda Di and Putt Sardara as a child actor.

He is definitely a man of many talents.

#3 Sachin Tendulkar

The God of Indian Cricket is known to dominate bowlers

The Master Blaster has never been limited to being only a sportsperson in India. He is an institution, a stalwart in the history of modern cricket.

He is known on the field for his gentle manners, polite send-offs and reserved nature.

However, did you know, that as a child Tendulkar was a bit of a bully?

Atul Ranade, who went to nursery school with the maestro said that there was one word to describe his friend: a big-time bully.

When they were five or six years old, they would regularly get into fights during break time. He had once bullied a guy who was much older than him and hammered the fellow, according to Ranade.

It seems that in all these years, Tendulkar did not change at all. He continued to dominate on the field no matter what. Always the bully, always on top.

#4 Steve Waugh

Steve and twin Mark Waugh as children

Steve Waugh, the legendary batsman who captained Australia to the peak of its glory is one of the only 11 players to have scored over 10,000 Test runs and led Australia to 15 of their record 16 consecutive Test wins, and to victory in the 1999 Cricket World Cup.

Waugh, along with his twin Mark Waugh first played representative cricket when they were selected for the Bankstown District under-10s at the age of eight.

However, the future captain and his brother were both sent off the field because their sleeves were of the wrong colour. Their mother, Beverly Waugh had knitted on the colours of the team, but everyone else was wearing plain white.

Apart from excelling in cricket, the Waugh brothers were the youngest ever to be selected in the New South Wales Primary Schools’ soccer team.

#5 Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Captain Cool recenty retired from Test cricket

The Indian Captain is known for his interest in a variety of sports. But if not for a freak chance, India may have lost out on one of its most successful captain.

Captain Cool as a child was a badminton and football player. He was the goalkeeper for his school team.

However, it all changed one fine day when he was asked to play for a local club as a wicket keeper since their regular keeper was indisposed. Now, since Dhoni was a goalie, he had the basic agility that was required to become a good wicketkeeper. It was in this game he first announced himself as a wicket keeper of rare ability with swift moves.

Gradually, his cricket team coach convinced him to make the shift from football to cricket, and the rest as they say, is history.

#6 AB de Villiers

AB de Villiers is a multi-talented star

The South African ODI captain is considered to be one of the best modern day cricketers in all formats of the game by cricket pundits. His unorthodox shots, athletic antics on the field and wicketkeeping skills are loved by millions around the world.

While there were reports about his incredible prowess in hockey, football swimming, sprinting, golf and badminton at school and junior level, AB himself quashed those myths in his autobiography where he said: “These are the facts; decent at golf, useful at rugby and tennis when I was young and enjoying cricket ever since. The errors will doubtless remain on the Internet and people will continue to believe I was some sort of prodigy at all those different sports, but the truth will hopefully somehow endure.”

While he may not have been shortlisted for South Africa's junior national hockey team, made it to the shortlist of South Africa’s junior national football team, been captain of South Africa's junior national rugby team, held six school swimming records, held the record in the 100m dash in South Africa's junior athletics, be a part of South Africa's junior Davis Cup tennis team, have a golf handicap of scratch and SA’s U-19 national badminton champion, he was still a multi-talented youngster.

He excelled in rugby and tennis before pursuing cricket as his sport of choice.

#7 Dale Steyn

Dale Steyn is undoubtedly the best bowler of his era

South African fast bowler Dale Steyn steams in with the ball and unleashes fire on the pitch. Although he was the No.1 ranked Test bowler on many occasions, Steyn never even dreamed of playing cricket for his country.

Hailing from the small town of Phalaborwa on the border of the world famous Kruger National Park in South Africa, making into the international team seemed like an unrealistic dream.

However, his love for outdoor games led him to participate in bass finishing and skateboarding as a child.

Steyn started playing cricket at the age of 11 only after he received a Hansie Cronje cricket set as Christmas gift.

#8 Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane is an integral part of the Indian Test side

The 29-year-old from Mumbai has steadily risen as a reliable batsman and sealed his seat in the Test side.

Fondly called Jinks, Rahane comes from a lower middle-class family and could not afford proper coaching as a child. His father took him to a small coaching camp with a matting wicket in Dombivili.

It was only when he was 17 that he began to be coached by a former cricketer, Pravin Amre.

His childhood may have been hard but now he is now one of the stars of Indian cricket.