Top 5 'down-to-earth characters' in cricket

For any sportsman, a loss of form or repeated failures should not be perceived as worries. I mean that a talented individual can get back to normal any moment rather easily. But the real matter of concern, on the contrary, should be the success that he or she comes across. Handling of success and fame is the most difficult thing for any individual, and in any sportsman’s case, it should be termed as a litmus test.

From being a person who used to live in a smaller circle, recognized only by his closest friends and family members, he gets transformed into an individual with universal reckoning as a successful sportsman. It is then that his character is put into a stern test. This instant rise to fame instils in him a completely new personality altogether. He soon becomes a day-dreamer and begins to walk on the clouds, completely oblivious to the fact that he was someone else before, as a human. Once the success gets to his head thus, he develops a superiority complex, considering himself much above the rest, thereby getting viewed as an arrogant persona in the eyes of the outsiders and fans. Though he might have surpassed every record possible, no one would give him his due when it came to acclaiming him as a genius in his own discipline.

However, there are a very few individuals (in fact only a handful of them), who have handled success better even after topping various milestones, and have always remained respected. I have handpicked a few of those from the game of cricket who have succeeded in maintaining discipline and composure, thereby serving as an example to the rest.

Sachin Tendulkar:

When you select cricket as a topic of discussion, this man picks himself. One cannot ignore Sachin Tendulkar, as his name sounds synonymous to the game itself. One day, I found an article claiming him to be the best part-time bowler in the world. He is already in possession of all possible batting records which are not easy to be rewritten. For most of the people in the world, especially in India, cricket is all about this exceptionally talented Mumbai batsman. Having been the permanent member of the Indian squad for the last 23 years, without getting dropped even once, you expect someone of that kind to be self-centered and egoistic. Here, the whole cricket-loving public has been mad behind him, and is ready to cover him up even if he stays away from the righteous path. But yet, the batting maestro has been “picture perfect” both in his personal and professional life. He has had so many instances in his life which should have enraged him, like the Shoaib Akhtar episode in Eden Gardens, Kolkata, where he was run out due to the former getting in his way, even as he was attempting to push his bat in; where he was controversially given out ‘shoulder before wicket’ in Australia; where he was called a ‘sore loser’ by Adam Gilchrist in his book; where he was accused of ball tampering which was later dismissed by ICC as frivolous allegations after seeing the video footage; the list goes on. But then, he never reacted badly even once, which is why many opine that he is the God of cricket. That is humility for you, isn’t it? He is prepared to play under anyone’s captaincy even if the other person was not even born when he started playing cricket. He is easily the most humble person in cricket, and even when he is pitted against the giants of other sports, he would come right on top in terms of down-to-earth attitude.

Rahul Dravid:

If you asked him to walk on glass pieces for his team, he would be ready to do it. This quote from Sidhu well describes the character of the “wall of Indian cricket”, Rahul Dravid. Sadly, he chose to quit from all forms of the game six months back, and so India is now in search of another “team man” like him. As far as his batting records are concerned, he is no way inferior to the Master Blaster. Add to that the fact that he still holds the record for having taken more catches than anyone else in test cricket. So, in view of his position as the second best batsman for his country during his playing days, he could have dictated many things, but never once had that idea. Normally, only newcomers would be asked to stand in close fielding positions like silly point and forward short leg, and the seniors would preferably stay safe in the slips or covers, where they didn’t need to do a lot of running. But Dravid never imbibed in himself this theory of bullying youngsters. In spite of being one of the senior-most cricketers of his side, he had, quite a number of times, donned the role of a close-in fielder. And, above all, albeit being the most successful batsman for India at No.3, whenever he was asked to give up that position and bat as an opener or a lower-order player, he never stood rigid holding onto his position. He considered his team’s interests first. From Mohammad Azharuddin, who was his first captain, to Dhoni, who was his last, he gave the same sort of co-operation to every one of them. He had no ego as a celebrity. When he gave an interview post retirement, saying he would thenceforth start buying vegetables and groceries for his family and do all such household duties, mark my words – those were not said for fun. He would be doing it nowadays. He has always been a man next door you see.

Anil Kumble:

Jumbo, as he was nicknamed, is the leading wicket taker for India and has been the third most successful spinner in the world in terms of wickets in test cricket. Only when you saw him in the Indian cricket team’s attire, standing on the cricket field, you would be able to recognize him as an athlete. Otherwise, you would get the feeling that he was one of your own family members. He doesn’t look to others that he is one of the best cricketers India has ever produced. Like Dravid, he was another perfect team man. He has even bowled with a broken jaw at one point in his career. When he captained the team, he sported a look of a disciplined head master managing his students. Seldom under his captaincy would you see players behaving boorishly. Though he stood at more than six feet tall, he was one of those guys who never showed his authority to others. He was very friendly to every other cricketer. He shares a world record with Jim Laker for taking all 10 wickets in a single innings, and has many more bowling feats, but has never been tawdry or arrogant. A true gentleman he certainly was during his stint as a cricketer.

Muttiah Muralitharan:

When you are the owner of bowling records in both forms of the game (tests and ODIs), holding untouchable records (as it looks now) in atleast one of them, as I said at the beginning of the article, it is natural for someone to go haywire with extra vanity, holding a superiority complex over others. But this is not the case with Muttiah Muralitharan, who along with Shane Warne is arguably the best spin bowler ever. He suffered ordeals like no one in history during the initial stages of his career, mainly because of the way he was treated by a certain Darrell Hair, the Australian umpire. The way a few umpires questioned his bowling action nearly plunged him into the darkness, making him fear for the worse. But then he underwent many bowling tests, and got himself cleared by the ICC. He sailed along after having freed himself from the once questioned bowling action and went on to become the highest wicket taker ever. He treats every cricketer with high regard and gives respect to everyone, even as a retired cricketer now. He barely involved himself in any sort of controversy off the field unlike his contemporary, Shane Warne. If you want to study the history of a selfless cricketer, you have to study him.

Mahela Jayawardene:

For the last four years, he has been very unlucky as a captain, losing many important finals. He has more than 10000 runs in both tests and ODIs, and more importantly, has won many matches for his team almost single-handedly. He was a very technically sound batsman to start with, but later developed a penchant for a number of unorthodox shots as well. He had a miraculous escape when he and his teammates were brutally attacked by some armed terrorists in Pakistan. He has experienced many successes, as well as failures in his professional life. He is one of those characters who never speaks unless the situation demands. He is not used to give reasons for his team’s defeat, and as a true leader takes failures on his own head. He is not used to getting animated even when he gets out (regardless of whether it is his own mistake or if it is a misjudgement from the umpires). He is a very calm personality, with a lot of sportsmanship built in him. I have never seen him losing his cool and show a glimpse of bad temper. He was a great character on the whole.

So, those were the top five gentlemanly characters I have come across in the game of cricket. There are a couple of other players whose names, I feel, should be mentioned here. They were V.V.S. Laxman and Adam Gilchrist. The reason why I have not mentioned them inside the top five is because they have comparatively played for lesser years, and have had held fewer records. But then, in terms of sportsmanship and a down-to-earth attitude, they are second to none.