In this article, we will see in short the brilliance of the 6 Indian cricketers inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. Cricket is probably the most popular sport in India. People follow it like a religion in all regions of India. It is no surprise that India has given some world-class players to the cricketing world.
Legendary cricketers in India have received many national awards and accolades. But ICC Cricket Hall of Fame induction is definitely the highest form of respect the world can bestow on a class cricketer.
Let us read about the 6 Indian cricketers inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame so far.
1) Sunil Gavaskar
The little master who played for India from 1971 to 1987 was the first Indian ever to be inducted in the ICC Hall of Fame. He was inducted in 2009.
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Known as the best batsman in the world during his time, Gavaskar scored 10122 runs in 125 Tests at an amazing average of 51.12 scoring 34 hundreds, 4 double hundreds, 45 half-centuries.
In 108 ODIs, he scored 3092 runs at an average of 35.14 scoring 1 century and 27 half-centuries.
This brave 5 feet 5-inch batsman who faced some of the dangerous bowling attacks, as an opener, did it all, most of the times without helmets or less protective helmets of those days. Don’t know if the modern-day batsmen with all the cricketing gears would have the courage to bat and score big innings, how our little master did.
The most interesting aspect of his batting was his ability to convert his good starts into big hundreds and then into double hundreds too. Four double-hundreds he scored is enough to tell us about the greatness, character, and temperament of the man we are all fond and proud of.
2) Bishen Singh Bedi
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India has always been known for its spin bowling and Bishen Singh Bedi definitely ranks as the all-time top Indian spinner. He had a very elegant bowling action which made his bowling spells absolutely a delight to watch. He liked giving flight to his balls, which enticed batsman to hit big shots. But probably that was what Bedi wanted. With a slight variation here and there, Bedi would send them back to pavilion.
Bedi played for India from 1966 to 1979 and was inducted into the ICC hall of fame in 2009. In 67 Tests, he took 266 wickets at an economy of 2.14.
3) Kapil Dev
The man, whom the nation thanked in 1983, for inspiring and leading the team to the World Cup finals and then winning it like a true champion.
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Kapil Dev’s career spanned from 1978 to 1994. He was included into the ICC hall of fame in 2010.
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One of the greatest all-rounders in the world and definitely the best India had ever produced. His fast swing bowling kept even the best of the best batsman on their toes when facing his lethal deliveries.
4) Anil Kumble
The first thing which comes to my mind is the 10 wickets he took for 74 runs against Pakistan in a single inning in 1998-99. That record is written in golden letters in cricket history. Every Indian cricket fan fondly cherishes the record. Anil Kumble started playing for India in 1990 and retired in 2008.
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In 132 Tests, Kumble took record 619 wickets at an economy of 2.69 taking 35 five-fers and 31 four-fers in 236 Test innings, leading India to many wins in India and overseas.
No surprise he was inducted in the ICC hall of fame in 2015, ahead of many other greats. He served his nation in the best way any bowler could possibly do.
5) Rahul Dravid
He is not human, he is literally ‘the Wall’. The Wall, which is the strongest on the planet. The Wall was considered one of the nicest cricketers. But he had all the potential to frustrate even the best bowler from the opponent team. Bowlers used to try every trick in their hat. But the calm mind of Dravid had a solution to each of the trick.
His brain was like a computer which would automatically sort the balls as per their types-weak, good, bad, in swing, out swing, bouncers, etc. And then he would decide the best course of action while playing them. This computer was not afraid to leave the deliveries or just play dot balls one after another, creating a string of dot balls.
He would wait patiently until a proper ball which he liked came his way. But when such weaker ball did come his way, he would produce some of the most stylish boundaries of the match. And before anyone noticed, he had reached a 50 or a 100.
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Known for his temperament and technique, he also was a true gentleman both on the field and off the field. He was a deep-thinking cricketer.
On 1 November 2018, he became the 5th Indian cricketer to be inducted into the ICC hall of fame and I still wonder what took so long. Oh yes, they have to wait for 5 years after retirement, right? Hmm, then it’s okay!
6) Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar retired on 16 November 2013. And on July 19, 2019, he became the 6th Indian cricketer to be inducted in the ICC Hall of Fame.
Sachin played for India from 1989 to 2013, that means 24 years of service to cricket. In these 24 years, he went on to play 664 international cricket matches and built a Mount Everest of 34,357 runs. Most cricketers will fail to even think about scoring that many runs. He is not a cricketer but a super-cricketer!
When Sachin came to bat, it is said that suddenly the streets in India would become empty, since all would sit in front of TVs or turn on their radios. People would get into a completely different world when they would watch Sachin bat. A world where they would forget all their worries, a world which was full of inspiration and possibilities and a world which was full of joy.
But this same world would turn upside down into an unbearable hopeless hell if Sachin would get out early. But the good thing is that happened very rarely.
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Almost all international bowlers dreamt of taking Sachin’s wicket but were also afraid that he will smash them for fours and sixes. Only bowlers can understand this strange discomfort when bowling to Sachin. No bowler would dare to sledge Sachin, for they knew there is nothing worse than the wrath of God himself.
His presence in the team was enough to boost the morale of the Indian team to sky-high levels and to give the opposing team a real scare. This soft-spoken cricketer was also a smart bowler. Probably, only the second bowler after Wasim Akram to bowl six different types of deliveries in one single over.
Sachin has numerous records in world cricket and most of them might take forever to be broken. Without a doubt, he is one of the greatest cricketers in the history of cricket. The ICC Hall of fame must be glowing with glee after the master blaster’s induction into it.
So these are the 6 Indian Cricketers in the ICC Hall of Fame. These are the 6 gems who have shone brightly just to give us the joy, pride, and inspiration. We will always be grateful for their service to the country and the countrymen. Their induction into the ICC Hall of Fame has made sure that they will keep shining brightly forever.
(Last Updated July 21, 2019)
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICC_Cricket_Hall_of_Fame
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Virat Kohli also deserve this place in ICC’s hall of fame.