5 Indian cricketers who had the biggest influence on the public

India have had several great cricketing heroes over the years. These men have influenced not only the game of cricket, but also the entire generation in which they played.

Nothing unites the nation as much as cricket does. In this list, let us look at five Indian cricketers who have influenced the Indian public the most.

5. Sunil Gavaskar (1971-1987)

He was the man who infused self-belief, confidence and a sense of determination in the Indians. At a time when the other batsmen around him regularly folded like a pack of cards, Gavaskar stood like a monk, unconquerable and unflappable.

It was Gavaskar’s exploits at the crease that influenced the likes of Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar to take up the game.

Gavaskar was the first Indian batsman to scale the highest peaks in batting - the first to reach 10,000 runs in Test cricket, and the first to notch up 30 centuries.

When he retired from the game in 1987, Gavaskar was both the highest run-getter and the highest century-maker in the history of the game.

4. Kapil Dev (1978-1994)

1983 was a watershed moment in Indian cricket. The iconic Kapil Dev running backwards and completing the most famous catch in Indian cricket history to dismiss the destructive Vivian Richards will be etched in the minds of each and every cricket fan forever. It was after this that a whole generation of Indians fell in love with the game.

Kapil was the first folk hero of Indian cricket. He was a rare fast bowling threat from the country, and changed the belief that India was capable of producing only great spinners. Kapil running in at the batsmen with his rippling muscles was a sight to behold.

3. Mahendra Singh Dhoni (2004-present)

He was the man who proved that you can be totally unorthodox and still reach dizzying heights in sport.

Dhoni’s tenure as the captain of the Indian cricket team was the brightest in the history of Indian sport. His leadership style is still being discussed as a model in leading management institutions across the country.

Dhoni’s fan following cuts across geographical barriers. People from Chennai celebrate the success of their ‘Thala’ with the same fervor as the people of Ranchi do.

2. Virat Kohli (2008-present)

Today’s India is an India of startups. The people of the country are now willing to take risks, and are always waiting for challenges to overcome.

No cricketer epitomizes this youthful vigour more than Virat Kohli does. Kohli is a man who relishes challenges, a man who has an “in your face” attitude, a man who will not take a step back when confronted with obstacles.

Kohli’s success with the bat on the cricket field has made him a youth icon as he symbolizes a young and rising India.

1. Sachin Tendulkar (1989-2013)

Sachin Tendulkar is a name that is almost synonymous with the game of cricket itself. No cricketer has influenced the minds of the Indian public for such a long period of time as Tendulkar did in his illustrious career.

Consider this: when Tendulkar made his debut in 1989, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were not even in their teens, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were unheard of names in football, Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps were just three-year-old toddlers. And when Tendulkar retired from the game almost a quarter of a century later, Federer and Nadal had emerged as two of the greatest tennis players of all time, Messi and Ronaldo were competing with each other for the Ballon d'Or, Bolt had emerged as the undisputed sprint king and Phelps had become the most decorated Olympian of all time.

An entire generation grew up watching the halo of Tendulkar. And that generation reacted to every single thing that the Mumbaikar said or did.