If cricketers were F.R.I.E.N.D.S. characters

Varied and diverse. Effused with complexities and intricacies. Cynical and sarcastic. Practical and logical. Marred with flaws whilst possessing traits that might seem odd. Goofy and child-like or just purely meticulous and refined.

The network of emotions and vulnerabilities that comprise an individual imparts a distinct layer of mystery to his character. With each being possessing a horde of qualities that distinguishes him from the herd, it becomes an interesting interplay of differences and similarities which then defines his bond with the world around.

The friendships thus formed comprise promises unspoken and words silently adhered to. It can either succumb to the changing times or cement its place amidst doubts and qualms; carving a legacy for generations.

By ironing out minor misgivings and engulfing into the bigger realm of selflessness, a cohesive whole develops, with each human standing up for the skill the other lacks.

F.R.I.E.N.D.S, an American television sitcom, that aired its first episode way back in 1994, stands as the epitome of simplicity that each friendship entails.

By bringing together six adults who seem so disjointed, together, to eventually witnessing them fit together perfectly as a puzzle a decade later, the show exemplified the sanctity of relationships like never before.

Blurring the lines between fiction and reality, the cricketing sphere too contains breeds of personalities. The aggression of Brendon McCullum contrasts the calmness of his team-mate Kane Williamson while the hysteria of Virat Kohli stands against the stoic stance of Rahul Dravid.

However, just like the characters in the series, the cricketers in the real world too combine beautifully to give the fans and the supporters a performance to remember.

Ricky Ponting as Rachel Green

Confident and well aware of herself and her priorities, Rachel Karen Green remained an inspiration for letting go of her insecurities and adapting to the responsibilities that her chosen path took her towards. After leaving Barry at the altar, she had the tough task of letting go of her parent’s money to start afresh in a world of duties, something she accomplished with élan.

Ricky Ponting, much like Rachel, remained a carefree cricketer indulging in pranks and childish excitement before the job of captaining Australia came his way. Adam Gilchrist, Ponting’s team-mate in the national squad, had an unexpected statement about his former captain, which left everyone in shocked amazement.

“Ricky Ponting was the prankster in the Australian team. He was mischievous and still is a bit. We played the 1998 Commonwealth Games and Punter (Ponting) was pretty young at that time. He would come back to the hotel early and he’d set up a sequence of traps. The first one would be at the door where a bucket of water would fall on the cricketers in the dark. You would go further and he’d have a trip wire set up, with chairs crashing all over.”

Both Rachel and Ponting possessed an arrogant pride in their achievements but never for once did they shy away from admitting their mistakes. With a strong sense of self, the duo remained unafraid to lash out at the wrong ethics, committed either by the rivals, or their own people. Refusing to take attacks unnecessarily and not hesitating to pull out an individual for his slip-ups remained their greatest traits which made them role-models to one and all.

By being defined by a strange sense of loyalty and passion they ended up being the ultimate team players. Just like Rachel never left her friends in disarray, Ponting too always found the knack of rushing to his team’s aid and helping them sail through rough waters.

With restrained levels of naughtiness, like when Rachel teaches Ross Gellar’s son Ben practical jokes or Ponting’s song when he was on-air as a commentator that revealed Mark Waugh’s little secrets, both firmly held the desire to be successful with tints of honesty that made them so endearing. And of course, the two are drop-dead gorgeous as well!

Ravichandran Ashwin as Ross Geller

Enter caption

Paleontologist Dr Ross Geller shares a love-hate relationship with the audience all around. His obsession with dinosaurs and scientific reasoning that parallels Phoebe Buffay’s witty observations provide some of the most hilarious scenes throughout the series. Such is his obsession with the extinct creature, that Joey Tribbiani is forced to write Ross' occupation as "dinosaur" in a form that he is filling up! On the surface, Ross appears a morbid nerd who is an unassuming professional.

With a B Tech degree in engineering, Ravichandran Ashwin remains one of the most educated Indians in the Indian dressing room. Like Ross, he too is a thorough professional that gives in to over-analysis in the field in which he excels in. Appearing stoic and serious as the world around continues to indulge in outbreaks of mania; both Ross and Ashwin seem solemn and even boring, preferring to shy away from the eccentricities of the others around.

But that is where the façade in their personalities give away. As Ross draws a moustache on Rachel or mistakenly whitens his teeth more than necessary, he unveils a side of his that is profuse with carelessness and subtle streaks of wit. Ashwin too unloads his lighter self once in a while, prank-calling his shoe provider for a pair of shoes that were anything but normal.

“The right shoe should be size 10 and the left should be 12. The left shoe should not have a sole,” exclaimed Ashwin in glee leaving the poor provider in deep anxiety.

Ashwin, mirroring Ross, is hard working and in his quest for greater achievements refuses to give up without a fight. The off-spinner remained in the shadows of the more illustrious Harbhajan Singh for many years and once the opportunity came his way, he established himself as the world’s best bowler of the current time. By compromising his own interests for those around him, Ashwin, like Ross, remains selfless and big-hearted which can be aptly seen in the former’s ability to adapt to the team’s demands of batting up the order consistently.

And of course, by being fully aware of the surroundings around them, they have managed to attain the state of “unagi”, something that Ross was overtly fanatical about!

Shane Warne as Joey Tribbiani

There couldn’t have been a more extroverted character than him. Living life to the fullest by enjoying his share of women and food, Joey Tribbiani remains one of the most affable personalities to have been scripted on any TV series.

Without any malice or ill will, Joey carries on with his job of being an actor even though his friends barely escape alive from the performances he puts up on stage for them. Yet, with his strong confidence and genteel nature, which even makes him so enthusiastic to even play the butt double of Al Pacino, makes him a treat to watch.

If one thinks of the cricketing world, only one cricketer can even come close to the life that Joey is so accustomed to leading.

Australian spin wizard Shane Warne has not only wowed the spectators with his on-field performances, like Joey did in “The Days of Our Lives” but has also learnt to enjoy his social sphere.

Be it his charm with women or his association with adult film stars; his love for poker or a narcissistic side to his self, Warne parallels the character of Joey excellently. He even joined Tinder after his breakup with Elizabeth Hurley, without any intention of getting committed to anyone! Anyone better than to copy Joey's "How you doin'?" then, you think?

Warne continues to lead a luxurious life, one that many cricketers would shy away from. Be it stripping down to his boxers in between his stint as a commentator during the Ashes or undergoing butt implants in 2014 to support the Australian Football Team in the FIFA World Cup for charity, Warne has effortlessly mastered the art of living with oomph.

Not only is Joey’s and Warne’s love for the obvious similar, but the two also share an uncanny resemblance towards their love for food and drink. “Joey does not share food” is a line that has gained cult status and Warne’s love for baked beans during the 1998 series in India remains a tale of folklore, where Qantas, the national Australian airline flew down 1,900 tins of baked beans for the Aussie!

However, beneath their wild side, there lies a deeply emotional and sensitive human being who will never give up on the bonds he has made. Joey’s friendship with Chandler Bing remains historical and his reaction to the passing away of his agent Estelle is heart-warming, to say the least. His responsibilities towards Rachel’s daughter Emma are widely similar to Warne’s duties towards his three children and his friendship with Kevin Pietersen proves his sense of admiration to all around.

With doses of cheeky comments accompanying the mistakes he commits, both Joey and Warne exemplify a larger than life personality interspersed by tonnes of human values.

Virender Sehwag as Chandler Bing

Unorthodox and outspoken, Chandler Bing’s quick and clever quips of sarcasm and wit made him a smart and chirpy character on the show. With dollops of unusual things to say at the most unexpected times, Chandler remained a spontaneous personality, adding sass to his dialogues and humour to his awkwardness, albeit in the most adorable way ever.

The ease with which Mrs Chanandler Bong jumps up and down in excitement, foregoing ordinary for the impulsive is widely reminiscent of none but Virender Sehwag.

During his hey-days as a cricketer, the Nawab of Najafgarh rarely followed the strict words of his coaches and captain, playing and smashing deliveries at will. Singing songs whilst batting and effortlessly hitting sixes to reach milestones, Sehwag refused to be caught up in the world of techniques and instead dwelled in the irresistible world of reflexes and an excellent hand-eye coordination that ensured he left a lasting impact.

Like Chandler’s bromance with Joey, Viru’s deep bond with Gautam Gambhir on and off the field sparked excitement and the tales the duo had to share were intently awaited.

After his international stint as a player was over, Sehwag ensured that the world of Twitter got sneak peeks into the charisma of the right-hander. By giving uncanny advises on marriage and life or his wit-wrapped birthday posts for his contemporaries, Sehwag has effortlessly transformed into the Chandler Bing of world cricket!

Not only are the two childlike and easy-going, they both ensure that their friends are well protected and away from criticism from the outside world.

While Chandler takes digs at Joey constantly, he rem his strongest protector and guardian. This was very similar to the slight dig directed by Sehwag towards his former teammate MS Dhoni which was very quickly forgotten with the heartiest of wishes on his birthday by the funny-man Sehwag, that ended with the hashtag #HappyHelicopterDay!

Mahendra Singh Dhoni as Phoebe Buffay

Having spent her childhood out on the streets, Phoebe Buffay develops an esteemed value system and an undying attitude of positivity towards life. Not swaying to the temptations that the world had to offer, Phoebe maintained her own self with confidence and honesty, being clear about her needs and desires.

Defined by quirkiness and a street-smart cheekiness, she can well on course be equated to Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who too found a way in the ugly world of stardom from the small by-lanes of Ranchi.

Dhoni’s comments behind the stump mic, where he chastised Sreesanth’s lacklustre fielding with a "Oye Sree udhar girlfriend nahi hai, idhar aa ja thoda” (Hey Sree, your girlfriend isn't there. Come ahead a bit) or his perfect ploy to outfox Michael Clarke which worked wonders, showed Dhoni as a well aware individual who knew how to get the best from his team-mates. Imbibing Phoebe’s ability to remain calm under pressure, Dhoni developed an admirable attitude of refraining from taking the sport and the losses and wins it brings too seriously. He developed his own hobby when the cricket field was not his den, like Phoebe, who turned towards singing in her spare moments.

Grabbing onto moments and believing in one’s own intuitions paved the way for the two risk takers to succeed in dealing with life. Dhoni’s bold move to give Joginder Sharma the last over in the T20 World Cup Final a decade ago or promoting himself up the order in the 2011 World Cup Final shows a strange belief in one’s abilities, which is a replica of Phoebe’s conviction in her songs and singing.

The duo remains honest to their closest friends and do not fear from criticising them even in the public eye. Yet, Phoebe’s selflessness is brought to the fore when she admits being the surrogate mother of her step-brother and gives birth to twins in a pregnancy that took a toll on her.

Dhoni, too, has over the years, sacrificed his preferred batting position to groom the youngsters for tougher times ahead. Despite their overtly displays of strong will, both Phoebe and Dhoni remain widely emotional. This was seen when 'Priness Consuela Bananahammock' takes efforts to find her father, or when Dhoni shed a few tears after India lifted the World title after a span of 28 years!

Anil Kumble as Monica Geller

Slightly serious and sombre, Monica Geller is a character who remains detail-oriented, logical and clear about what she wants in her life. On occasions, she turns into an annoying hindrance for the other five, who constantly complain about her obsessive compulsion to clean and fine-tune the apartment at all times.

With the ugly saga that spanned Indian cricket a few months ago where Anil Kumble resigned as the Indian coach after reports of him being a tough taskmaster doing the rounds, there can possibly be no other replacement of Monica than Jumbo himself.

By strictly implementing a disciplinary routine in the dressing room and by harping on a fitness test for players returning to the national side after injury, Kumble’s ways was soon seen as too obtrusive. However, like Monica, Kumble too managed to get the best results from the squad, taking the team to victories in series after another.

Kumble’s passion towards his game, which was witnessed when he bowled with a broken jaw in 2002 stands with Monica’s enthusiasm for her cooking and her competitive streak which was on full display during the Geller Family Thanksgiving Football Game, contains flashes of aggression which Kumble too wore with an emphatic pride.

Special mention- Kamran Akmal as Janice Litman

Trade-markedly annoying and very frustrating, Janice's nasal voice has gone on to irritate the six friends much more than they can tolerate. Though she does remain a sympathetic being, the combination of her hilarious avatar as a woman in love with Chandler and the reactions she evokes amongst them every time she enters makes her an individual who is hard to like.

The cricket world very honestly can only contain two possible Janice’s. One is India’s own Ashok Dinda, who has for long been the subject of trolls for the height of his jump before bowling the most inaccurate deliveries that are spewed across the park by the batsmen.

However, the Janice of world cricket is accorded to Pakistan’s Kamran Akmal for dropping the simplest of catches at every opportune moment.

So much so that whenever a possible catch is headed in his direction, fans all around unanimously proclaim that it shall be dropped! Catches being dropped after going less than 100 feet in the air or toppling over after nestling in his gloves, a record of 62 catches dropped in five years is enough to make one go “OH! MY! GOD!” With exasperated hands flapping in sync, of course!