Cricket has changed drastically in the last decade. The game has almost gone the football way. T20 leagues have taken over the sport. Players have started taking the freelance route and are no longer just loyal to their country. This takes us back to an era where selfless and sporting acts were common sighters. The game got richer owing to such selfless acts. Here are the most selfless acts in cricket history.
Stumpsandbails looks at 4 such moments that have stood the test of time:
#4 Richard Hadlee sacrificing his 10-wicket haul
Such selfless acts in cricket history. Richard Hadlee is widely regarded as one of the best bowlers of the game. He almost made it to the elite list of bowlers to take all 10 wickets in a single game. Hadlee once ended with figures of 9/52 against Australia in the 1985 Brisbane Test. The feat of capturing the perfect 10 was well in sight for Hadlee as he had picked the first 8 wickets in the innings. But, he put the team ahead of his personal achievement as he helped his teammate Vaughan Brown pick the ninth wicket as he caught the batsmen off Brown’s bowling.
#3 Gautam Gambhir giving away his award to Virat Kohli
Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli were two of the best chasers for India in the period between 2009-12. The duo put on fine partnerships to help India win many games. Gambhir and Kohli’s healthy relationship came to the forefront in a game against Sri Lanka in 2009. India chased down a mammoth total thanks to twin centuries from Gambhir and Kohli. Gambhir’s unbeaten 150 earned him the Man of the Match award. But he gave away his award to a young Kohli who was surprised with Gambhir’s beautiful gesture. It remains one of the glorious moments of Indian cricket.
#2 Javagal Srinath allowing Anil Kumble to take the perfect 10!
Anil Kumble’s legendary ten-wicket haul is still fresh in the minds of everyone. But people are quite aware that his feat wouldn’t have been possible because of the sacrifice of former Indian pacer Javagal Srinath. Kumble had already accounted for nine wickets. It was then when Srinath bowled the 60th over of the Pakistan innings with zero wicket-taking intent. Srinath bowled all the six deliveries of the over way outside the off stump. This prevented the batsmen from attempting any false stroke. Although Waqar Younis tried his best to get out, he couldn’t manage to do so.
#1 Robin Uthappa’s sacrifice helped Rohit Sharma score 264 runs
Rohit Sharma holds the ODI record of scoring most runs (264) in a single innings. His knock came against Sri Lanka in a game at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. But this feat wouldn’t have been possible if not for Robin Uthappa’s selfless knock. Uthappa kept taking singles and gave away the strike to Sharma who was in full flow. It was a game where Uthappa could have easily taken more of the strike in a bid to cement his spot in the side. But he did none of that and helped Sharma scale the mountainous achievement.
He faced 16 out of the 58 balls in the partnership with Sharma and scored 16 runs. It was one of the most selfless acts of all time.
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