They might be hitting hard on the cricket fields, pumping those fists on the court or just having a jolly good time off the field. But several sportsmen have taken up various careers after their stint in sports.
They might be hitting hard on the cricket fields, pumping those fists on the court or just having a jolly good time off the field. But several sportsmen have taken up various careers after their stint in sports.
In our country where cricket is a religion, many of the ex-cricketers turned to commentators, selectors or on-field umpires and even actors! Here we take a look at all those cricketers who turned to politics:
Navjot Singh Sidhu
One of the finest top-order batsman to serve Indian cricket, Navjot Singh Sidhu today bides time for politics. The right-handed cricketer, who has played over 50 Tests and 100 ODI matches, went on to score over 7,000 international runs with over 27 centuries. From an active commentator to politician, Sidhu entered the world of politics in 2004 with the BJP. He won the Lok Sabha election on a BJP ticket. He was asked to resign after being convicted of culpable homicide. The Supreme Court, however, stayed his conviction and he once again contested the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat. He won by a huge margin of 77,626.
Mohammad Azharuddin
One of Indian cricket’s finest and most successful captains ever, Mohammad Azharuddin represented India in 99 Tests and 334 ODIs, until being banned by the BCCI for his involvement in a match-fixing scandal in 2000. Ever since, Azhar did not look back at cricket and decided to take up politics as a career. He joined the Indian National Congress on February 2009 and won from the Moradabad constituency of Uttar Pradesh to the Lok Sabha.
Kirti Azad
Former India great Kirti Azad went on to represent his national side in 7 Tests and 25 ODIs from 1980 to 1986. He was also a part of the 1983 World Cup winning side in England. Soon after, Kirti made his foray into the world of politics. His father, Bhagwat Jha Azad was once the Chief Minister of Bihar and thus Kirti followed into his father’s footsteps. He was elected to the Parliament on a Bharatiya Janata Party ticket from Darbhanga, Bihar.
Sachin Tendulkar
The Master Blaster of Indian cricket, Sachin Tendulkar retired from International cricket last year after serving the nation for more than a decade. But prior to that, Sachin was nominated to the Rajya Sabha and along with actress Rekha, he was attributed as Member of Parliament.
Tiger Ali Khan Pataudi
One of India’s finest cricketers and iconic batsman, Tiger Ali Khan Pataudi too had a stint in politics not too long ago. He fought the 1971 general elections from Gurgaon on a Vishal Haryana Party ticket where he was crushed. Later, in 1991 he stood from Bhopal on a Congress ticket, only to lose once again.
The final act shows that they might have been ‘players’ on the field but on the political front, their innings are to yet begin on a brighter note!
