5 most emotional moments on a cricket field

Most of the sports across the globe are played and followed with a great fervor. The players give it everything to win it for themselves or their team. The passionate and enthusiastic fans cheer their teams/players and vehemently support them. With passion comes emotions.

Cricket is a beautiful game which has emotions, drama, aggression, a rabid fan base and a spectacular display of batting, bowling and fielding. When a game is played with such tremendous intensity, emotions are in the air.

Over the years there have been several such emotional moments on a cricket field that touched everyone's heart. Moments like these are either heart-warming or heart-breaking.

Let us have a look at five such emotional moments that touched many and which still reverberates in the minds of cricket fans who witnessed them.

#5 The inconsolable South African team - ICC ODI World Cup 2015

South Africa has always been unfortunate in ICC tournaments

South Africa has always been a brilliant side, dominating every aspect of the game. Over the years, many goliaths of the game have emerged out of the South African team. Having said that, the talented and skillful Proteas have been attached with an infamous label of the 'chokers' as they have lost all their knockout matches in the past 15 years in ICC events.

Getting excruciatingly close to winning on almost every occasion but eventually losing the game due to some dreadful mistakes is what the mighty Proteas want to get rid off. Apart from that, the doomed African team has never had the blessings of rain gods, as it has played a major role in sinking the South African ship.

The latest one was the 2015 World Cup semifinal against New Zealand. South Africa had cruised to the semifinals and looked motivated to turn things around this time around. Batting first, South Africa scored an impressive 281 off 43 overs in a rain-curtailed match.

The chase was an electrifying one and enthralled the audience with constant twists in the game. Ironically, it was South Africa's catching and fielding that led to their defeat with the game going down to the wire. Grant Elliot was the match-winner for the Black Caps scoring 84 off 73 with a massive six on the penultimate ball of the game off Dale Steyn's bowling to seal the game for his team.

It was a moment of utter disbelief for the Proteas who gave it everything but got a bit nervous at the end. The inconsolable South African players took some time to recover from the shock but as true sportsmen they accepted it.

#4 Teary-eyed Inzamam-ul-Haq bids adieu

Inzamam-ul-Haq was a true legend

The gentle-giant Inzamam-ul-Haq was a legendary batsman and brilliant leader for Pakistan. The epitome of calmness - Inzamam amassed close to nine thousand Test runs and 12 thousand ODI runs - a staggering feat for any batsman.

With his burly figure, Inzamam never had the agility and fitness of a modern-day cricketer but never failed to impress the cricket fans with his batting. With his typical lazy-looking approach to the game, he etched out a special place for himself in the minds of fans. This love and respect for Inzamam were clearly visible in his farewell match.

Inzamam's last ODI match was a World Cup match, against Zimbabwe at Kingston, Jamaica in 2007. He scored a quickfire 37 which included three sixes and two boundaries. The humble legend's long and illustrious ODI career came to an end in an attempt to up the ante - a true team-man.

After he got out, all the Zimbabwean players on the field congratulated him. All the Pakistani players too gave Inzamam a guard of honour which eventually made the big Inzy a bit emotional.

A moment that Pakistani cricket fans would remember forever.

#3 Yuvraj Singh makes a strong comeback after battling cancer

Yuvraj Singh never ever gave up and made a strong comeback

The King of sixes - Yuvraj Singh's battle with cancer and the way he triumphed over it is a testimony to the fact that he is an iron-willed individual.

Yuvraj started seeing the symptoms during the ICC 2011 World Cup but the dogged southpaw continued playing for the nation, winning the cup for India with several awe-inspiring performances with the bat and some shrewd bowling.

Gritty Yuvraj underwent a painful cancer treatment post the World Cup and was determined to regain full fitness so as to play for the country again. This zeal for the game paved way for his comeback in the year 2012. The comeback match was a T20I against New Zealand in Chennai.

Yuvraj had a pretty good game as he bowled two overs for 14 runs, took a catch, and scored a well compiled 34. It was an extremely emotional moment for him and his family. The crowd cheered Yuvraj every time he was in action.

#2 When the Indian players wore jerseys with their mother's name

The 'Nayi Soch' was a wonderful gesture by Indian players, BCCI and Star India. (Image Courtesy: Star Plus)

Mother plays a pivotal role in shaping the child's future. Most of the successful sportspersons across the globe have credited their success to their parents especially their mothers.

In order to recognise a mother's contribution, the sacrifices she makes and her selfless efforts to help her son/daughter achieve his/her goal - Star India in collaboration with BCCI launched the 'Nayi Soch' initiative. As a part of this initiative, the Indian players donned the jerseys with their mother's names on it instead of their own.

This happened in the decider match of the India-New Zealand ODI series held on 29th October 2016 at Vizag. Everyone including the fans and individuals from sports fraternity was touched by this gesture. Indian players wearing jerseys with their mother's name on it were welcomed on to the field with a huge cheer from the crowd.

Star India had also organised an ad-campaign featuring Dhoni, Kohli, and Rahane to convey this beautiful message. This was one of a kind initiative which no other sports team across the world had taken up.

#1 When the 'God of Cricket' retired

Sachin's farewell was one of the most emotional moments in cricket

If cricket is a religion in India then the batting masterclass Sachin Tendulkar is it's most worshipped deity. An absolute genius with the bat Sachin ended his 24-year long and glorious career at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, playing his 200th Test match.

With the stadium packed to the rafters on all three days (India won the match in three days) and the chants of 'Sachin Sachin' - The God Cricket was given an overwhelming farewell. In the post-match presentation, Sachin took on the mike and wholeheartedly thanked everyone who was directly or indirectly involved in helping him throughout his career.

During the entire duration of the speech, there were many instances wherein Sachin had tears in his eyes as the crowd kept chanting his name nonstop. He also paid homage to the Wankhede pitch for one final time.

Sachin's retirement was perhaps the most emotional moment on the cricket field.