Cricket is rightly called the gentleman’s game. Players are expected to play the game hard and fair. There are surely moments where players do get carried away. They at times build animosity with each other. It often always spills out either in front of the public or in the backroom, lets see some of the Cricketers Who Are Best Friends Off-field.
The franchise leagues especially the IPL have reduced the players’ enmity a great deal. It has brought players closer than ever before. We now quite frequently notice better friendships off the field. Players across borders share cordial bonds with one another.
We look at 5 pairs of cricketers who are best friends off-field:
#5 Joe Root-Ben Stokes
Joe Root and Ben Stokes are best buddies. Their pair reminds people of fire and ice. Root is someone who rarely loses his cool while Stokes often always ignites fire. He gives it back as good as he gets. They make interesting friends. It was Root in whom Stokes confided when he took the indefinite break from the game.
Root too was primarily focused on getting back the best version of Stokes. He was concerned about his friend’s health and was delighted when Stokes returned. The pair will be eager to clinch the ashes down under together.
#4 KL Rahul-Mayank Agarwal
KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal have been playing cricket together right since their childhood. They went on to play age-group cricket together. The duo joined forces in domestic cricket too representing their stateside Karnataka. Rahul has always been at Agarwal’s side and vice-versa.
It was Rahul who calmed Agarwal when he made his Test debut in Australia in 2018-19. Despite Rahul not being in the best of form, he wanted the best for his friend who was incidentally taking up his role. The best friends later played for Punjab together where they opened the batting. Their partnership defined Punjab’s run in the IPL.
#3 Virat Kohli-AB de Villiers
The bond between Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers is super special. They are probably the most iconic friends who represent different countries. Kohli and ABD frequently competed for the tag of being the batsman in the world right until the latter retired in 2018. The duo often keeps waxing eloquent about each other. Their social media timelines are filled with their brotherhood, friendship, and bonhomie.
#2 VVS Laxman-Rahul Dravid
The friendship between VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid is the most underrated one. These two legends have been the best of friends right since they played cricket at the age-group level. They played together at the zonal level. Both Laxman and Dravid went on to make their debuts almost at the same time.
Their friendship helped them pull the nation out of the hole many a time. Nobody can ever forget their iconic partnership of 376 that helped India pull off a historic win. They joined forces again in Adelaide for an iconic encore. The duo continues to remain the best of friends despite making any hullaballoo about the same.
#1 Sachin Tendulkar-Sourav Ganguly
There wasn’t a more cult-opening pair in world cricket than Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly. The duo demolished bowling attacks despite playing in an era where aggression was uncommon. They defined cricket for many fans who idolised them.
The pair have remained the best of friends for close to over 3 decades now. Ganguly counts on Tendulkar to take Indian cricket forward. They have worked in unison to transform the side that India is right now.
