Top 5 cricket players of recent times who rocked a moustache

The month of November has also arrived and for the uninitiated -- it is the beginning of the month in which many people grow moustaches. Why? Well, Movember, as it is called, is the month where people across the globe grow moustaches in order to raise awareness of issues of men's health -- which involve men's suicide, testicular cancer, and prostate cancer, and many more.

While the trend became really popular in India a few years back, it has died down somewhat over the years. How about getting some motivation of growing a moustache just like your favourite cricket players and bring the mojo back?

Here are the Top 5 cricketers of recent times who are rocking the moustache:

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#5 Mitchell Johnson

Mitchell Johnson

The Australian speedster's moustache became extremely popular. The Queensland-born player had first grown a moustache in November 2013 but really enjoyed keeping it and decided to sport it for the coming year as well.

His was a retro handlebar moustache and loved by fans across the world. As per stuff.co.nz, Johnson reportedly shaved off his moustache and auctioned it off to raise around 40,000 Australian dollars.

The 37-year-old has always sported facial hair since then as it became a fan-favourite.

The left-arm pacer retired from International cricket in 2015 but is active playing T20 cricket in domestic leagues. Mitchell has donned the jerseys of teams such as Kolkata Knight Riders, Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai Indians (IPL); Karachi Kings (Pakistan Super League); and Perth Scorchers (Big Bash League).

Many experts believe that he quit too soon as his displays in these domestic leagues still show that he has some fire left in his belly and can wreak havoc for batsmen on his day. Keeping the 'mo' has become Johnson's trademark look now.

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#4 Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan

The 32-year-old is still an active cricketer for India and regularly opens their innings along with Rohit Sharma. However, the left-handed batsman is one of the wittiest to have taken the field and his mischievous behaviour is loved by all the members of the Indian team.

Gabbar, as he is popularly known, knows how to get the crowd off their seats. There have been innumerable occasions on which Shikhar twirls his moustache after taking a catch in the field. This really gets the crowd captivated and is a unique celebration to watch, to say the least.

Shikhar has had this habit since the day he made his test debut, on which he made a century and twirled his moustache while walking back to the pavilion after the end of the day's play. His wife Ayesha Mukherjee is also known to love his moustache.

The Delhi-born player is still going strong for the Men in Blue and is about to reach the 5000-run mark in ODI cricket. His carefree attitude is sure to entertain fans much more in the coming years.

#3 Wahab Riaz

Wahab Riaz

Wahab Riaz keeps a Horseshoe Moustache and there is a resemblance one can clearly see with Mitchell Johnson. Despite being great facial hair, Riaz's moustache was trolled a lot on social media when he came out with it in the Pakistan Super League.

Riaz did not answer whether his moustache was inspired by Australian speedster Johnson but it was anything but evident.

Pic 1: What you order onlinePic 2: What u get 😂😂😂#Wahabriaz #HBLPSL pic.twitter.com/sqU54h5xrr

— 🇵🇰 راجہ محمد موسیٰ (@raja_musa96) February 22, 2018

Leaving the trolls aside, if one actually sits down to analyze his 'mo,' it isn't the worst. The Pakistani bowler is known to clock 150 km/h and is one of the best fast bowlers around currently. The 33-year-old has 102 wickets in 79 matches for Pakistan with an Economy rate of 5.69.

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#2 Kevin Pietersen

Kevin Pietersen

The English cricketer sported a moustache during the Ashes in 2010. Pietersen decided to go with a neat moustache which had no sideburns for the Movember month. However, the 38-year-old does not sport a moustache currently. The right-handed batsman had a phenomenal career for England, in all three formats of the game.

A versatile batsman, Pietersen made 4440 runs for England in 136 matches with a batting average of 40.73 and a phenomenal strike rate of 86.58. He called it quits in International cricket in November 2014.

The decorated batsman kept playing in domestic T20 leagues after retirement but decided to hang up his boots for good in March 2018. The hard-hitting batsman last played for PSL side Quetta Gladiators marking the end of a fantastic career.

#1 Ravindra Jadeja

Jadeja (left) celebrates with Indian captain Kohli (right) after picking up a wicket against the West Indies in the 5th ODI

Ravindra Jadeja or 'Sir' is one of the most loved Indian Bowling All rounder of all time. Initially, the 29-year-old bore a clean-shaven look but it will be hard to remember that now as Jaddu has kept a beard and moustache for a long time.

He is said to have been inspired by fellow teammate Shikhar Dhawan to keep the moustache and considers it to be his lucky charm. Over time, he has become one of India's most stylish cricketers and is also known for his tattoos.

The Saurashtra-born player has had difficulty lately finding his place in the ODI team but is a regular in the test squad. In 39 tests, he has 185 wickets to his name with a bowling average of an impressive 23.5 and a batting average of 32.44.

Jadeja made a terrific comeback to the ODI squad as well during the 2018 Asia Cup, when he picked up a phenomenal 4 wickets for just 29 runs in his 10 overs in the match against Bangladesh. He was also a part of the Men in Blue's ODI team in the recent West Indies Tour of India and particularly impressed in the 5th ODI where he picked up 4/34. Jadeja is also an integral part of the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL as well.

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While this list featured the players of the recent times, there are some honourable mentions of the yesteryear such as Adam Hollioake, Graham Gooch, and Ian Botham of England, David Boon, Merv Hughes of Australia who completely rocked moustaches and were the trendsetters back in the day. Go and check out their photos online to get some 'mooch' inspiration.