Controversial Cricketers: Indian cricket has not been short of controversies. There have been several incidents that have left the fans seething. The talent of these cricketers was never in question but their temperament left a lot to be desired. They often worked up fellow players, the board, and the media for all the wrong reasons. Indian cricket is guilty of losing a few such talented yet mercurial cricketers who couldn’t fully utilize the platform provided.
We look at a few of India’s most controversial cricketers:
#1 S. Sreesanth
He arguably had the best seam position as long as he played for the national team. S. Sreesanth was a maverick cricketer. He was someone who had sledged Sachin Tendulkar before making his India debut in the Challenger Trophy. Sreesanth was a complete character who often went overboard with his antics.
He rubbed the Aussies in the wrong way in 2007, he had a go at Harbhajan Singh in an IPL game in 2008. MS Dhoni, the former Indian captain had famously quipped it’s difficult to captain someone like Sreesanth. His career came to an abrupt halt when his name cropped up in a spot-fixing scandal.
#2 Mohammad Azharuddin
He was one of India’s most gifted cricketers. Mohammad Azharuddin made a sparkling debut scoring 3 centuries in his first 3 Tests. He remains the only Indian captain to have led the side in 3 ODI World Cups. But it could be fair to say that Azhar couldn’t handle the fruits of success.
In the murky period of the 90s, Azhar’s name appeared in the match-fixing fiasco. His penchant for luxury drove a strong suit against him. Azhar couldn’t even play a historic 100 Tests as his career ended on 99 Test matches.
#3 Sourav Ganguly
He was someone who never shied away from a fight, especially during his playing days. Sourav Ganguly took over the captaincy of the side when Indian cricket was at its lowest. He had various run-ins during his playing days. Ganguly had famously refused to play at Nagpur as the pitch had an unusual amount of grass on it.
He irked Steve Waugh during toss time when Australia toured India for the historic series in 2001-02. His spat with Greg Chappell is now the stuff of legends. Ganguly it is learnt had a fallout with Rahul Dravid too before patching up with him.
#4 Vinod Kambli
He was touted to be far more talented than his friend Sachin Tendulkar. Vinod Kambli made batting look ridiculously easy during his initial days. He smashed consecutive double-hundreds in his first two Tests. Kambli would have been a batting great had he worn a calm head during his younger days. He was notorious for having showdowns with fellow players, the association, and even the board. His indiscipline off the field cost him big time.
The rising Indian dream was not ready for Kambli’s flamboyance. Kambli would have revelled in this generation where there is a clear demarcation between on-field performance and off-field shenanigans.
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