Top 5 gentlemen of cricket with no haters

Cricket was always known as gentleman's game. It was played with intense dignity, courage and a lot of hard work. It hasn't remained the same though.

Over the last three decades, Ccicket has been on the radar of bookies. Players of teams such as India, Pakistan, Australia, England, Sri Lanka have been found guilty in match-fixing scandals.

Crowd expectations, the need to protect one’s place in the side and the desire to reach personal milestones often means that players play for themselves and not the team. Intense fights, sledging has added up the fuel.

Though, there are still some players who conduct themselves well even off the field. These are loved even by the opposing team's fans.

Here's a look at five gentlemen in the game:

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#5 Kumar Sangakkara

Kumar Sangakkara is one of the greatest Sri Lankan players to take the field. He is widely respected in the international circuit and has contributed a lot to Sri Lankan cricket.

Sangakkara was one of the most successful captains as well as a popular figure in the cricketing universe for his lovely batting style.

With more than 10000 runs to his name in both formats, he is regarded as one of the best batsmen of his era.

Even during his lows, he continued to operate under the moral conducts that made him the player that he is today.

Still playing in Pakistan Super League, Sangakkara never gave up even in adverse situations. He is idolised around the world for his on-field and off-field behaviour. He is surely a legend of this game and is loved in all parts of the world.

#4 Adam Gilchrist

Walking off even after being given not out by the umpire is a rare sight, but Adam Gilchrist did it in the 2003 World Cup semifinal against Sri Lanka. A true ambassador of this game, Gilchrist is arguably the greatest wicket keeper-batsman to have played this game. In typical Australian fashion, Gilly was aggressive on the field, indulging in sledging and good-natured banter behind the stumps; off it, he was a soft spoken character.

Loved across the World for his powerful hitting, he changed the perception that wicket keeper can't bat. Outside cricket, Gilchrist is an ambassador for the charity "World Vision" in India, a country which loves him for his cricket achievements. One of the cleanest hitter of ball, Gilchrist clearly enjoys a great fan base with almost no haters.

#3 Brendon McCullum

No captain has had the effect that Bredon McCullum had for New Zealand. He almost single-handedly carried the team to the final of Cricket World Cup 2015. His aggressive captaincy turned New Zealand into world- beaters. While the world remembers the heights of the 2015 World Cup final, not everyone knows that he wasn't always liked. In fact, back in 2008, during his tenure as vice-captain, there were suggestions that the wicket-keeper wasn’t the ideal role model for the youngsters

Even Stephen Fleming, a former Black Caps captain, couldn’t elevate his team to the levels that Baz managed to. And that speaks volumes about his character and ability to inspire. New Zealand rarely lost a series under him. He might not be best of batsmen but will always be remembered as the captain under whom New Zealand achieved what they haven't in the last 50 years.

Still playing in T20 leagues, Brendon is a force to reckon with even in the twilight of his career.

#2 AB de Villiers

Described by many as the best player of this generation, he is undoubtedly the most loved foreign cricketer in India. AB is one of the most popular and admired stars in modern cricket and is really famous among the younger generation of cricket lovers throughout the globe. With his impeccable shot-creating abilities, there is literally nothing that ABD can't do on a cricket pitch.

Much like his performance with the bat, the South African ODI skipper is also one to look up to when it comes to cricketing conduct. He likes to dance around his crease and gives the bowlers a real tough time, but is really gracious to accept his achievements and never let that get to his mind. Also, there have been quite a few instances when fans have cheered ABD when he was playing against India in India. This shows the popularity that ABD has around the world.

#1 Rahul Dravid

The obvious choice for no.1 in this list. If cricket is a gentleman’s game, then Rahul Dravid is the undisputed gentleman. Rahul Dravid is one of the nicest guys you will ever come across on the cricket field. A modern great, Dravid held the ethics of the game as high in regards as the rules of the game. A classical batsman, Dravid put the team interest in front of personal accolades. Having scored more than 10000 runs in Test and ODI, Dravid was one of the finest and arguably the greatest no.3 to have ever played the game of cricket.

His on-field as well as off-field persona makes him an ideal role-model for youngsters not only in India, but around the globe. He even turned down Bangalore University's offer of awarding him with an honorary doctorate saying he would rather earn one in sports research. The cricketer with least controversies and huge fan base certainly has no haters.

His career can be well defined in Harsha Bhogle's quote, "The wolf who lived for the pack."