5 Cricketers' whose life stories can make for blockbuster movies

What’s the ideal blend for a blockbuster movie? A saccharine storyline that can stir the souls of the audience and take them on an unforgettable ride makes up for a truly amazing film. Whilst people in the show business keep exploring categorically for perfect stories, they tend to overlook a fact that there’s a brilliant story behind every successful character, especially people in the cricketing fraternity.

Talking of that, we’ve seen the rise of Sachin Tendulkar from a family of poets to resurrecting Indian cricket in the early 2000s, the journey of MS Dhoni from the streets of Ranchi to leading the Indian side to three different ICC accolades (a feat achieved by no one in the history) and various others. Some smart marketing brains turned these inspirational stories into blockbuster films and we all know how well their biopics performed at the box office.

Not just Dhoni or Sachin, there are a lot of cricketers who defied some impregnable barriers to reach a pinnacle in their life. There’s a heartwarming storyline behind every person and people in the movie business are taking notice of the warm reception biopics are getting these days. Henceforth, let’s take a look at the tales of few cricketers which can make up for blockbuster movies.

1. Suresh Raina – The Poignant Childhood

One of the finest cricketers India has ever seen, Suresh Raina experienced some distressful incidents in his childhood, which made him contemplate suicide at a time. A relatively pleasant life turned quite a nightmare when Raina joined the Lucknow Sports Hostel.

His seniors and other mates would bully him relentlessly, splash ice-cold water on him whilst sleeping during a chilling winter, trash would be thrown into his milk buckets and the worst of them all, few individuals urinated on him by pinning his hands on the floor. Poor 13-year-old Raina could do nothing as he was outnumbered on most occasions.

After a horrid experience in the hostel, a call came from Mumbai to play cricket for Air India where he met former Indian cricketer Pravin Amre for the first time. He never looked back since then and though he made his debut in 2005, Raina achieved stardom once IPL kick-started. He became a household name in no time with his outstanding rendition for Chennai Super Kings and also played a crucial role in India winning the 2011 ICC World Cup.

A role-model, an inspiration, Suresh Raina’s path to glory had so many filmy twists and emotional griefs, but his diligence made him what he is today.

2. Glenn McGrath – The “Broomstick” guy who can’t bowl

How ironic would it be if someone told Sachin Tendulkar he can’t bat? People will laugh out loud and take that for a lame joke. The reaction would be similar if I’d say the legendary Glenn McGrath cannot bowl, but there was a time when people did feel this guy can never roll his arm to good effect.

McGrath apparently looked quite pale, slim and resembled a broomstick. His bowling was too unpredictable and even the likes of Dennis Lillee ignored him when he saw him at a training camp. The baggy green cap was all the 16-year-old McGrath wanted and he could go any distance to get that. Knowing that he won’t get support for his ambitions, he trained silently each day, bowling against a 44-gallon drum trying to perfect his line and length.

After years of hard work, Dough Walters spotted the spark in McGrath and a new chapter in cricket history embarked. Aakash Chopra recalled a story when McGrath bowled him a delivery down the leg-side, which infuriated him. The willpower of the fast bowler was so strong that he didn’t bowl even once down the leg-side throughout that Test series in 2004. They said he can’t, they said the game’s too rough for his fragile body, and look what he’s done!

He found the love of his life in Jane McGrath and wished to spend his entire life alongside her. The couple married in 2001 and had two children. But their togetherness had a tragic end as Jane McGrath left him after losing the battle with breast cancer in 2008. To ensure no one loses their beloved ones the way he lost Jane, Glenn took up the role of Chairman of the Board of the McGrath Foundation, a breast cancer support and education charity which was founded by him and his wife in 2002.

3. Mohammad Yousuf – Defying the ridiculous stereotypes

Mohammad Yousuf aka Yousuf Yohana was born into a very poor family in Pakistan. Their clan belonged to the Hindu caste of Balmiki, who were considered to be untouchables. The way people treated them was something intolerable and they decided to change their religion to Christianity. Yet, this didn’t put an end to their financial struggles.

There was a whole lot of talent in Yousuf, but his background and financial position never allowed him to follow his dream. His love for the game helped him get to the first-class level, but to meet his daily needs, there was no option but to leave the game. He started driving rickshaws to earn a little money and his life took a unique turn when he got an opportunity to play for a local club.

His consistent performances caught the limelight, but his caste and background once again came as a barrier when Lahore‘s first-class team rejected him. They doubted his religious beliefs and practices. Yet, his cricketing talent helped him defy these ridiculous stereotypes. He eventually also changed his name from Yousuf Yohana to Mohammad Yousuf. Arguably one of the most brilliant batsmen Pakistan has ever produced, he remains an inspiration for millions.

4. Dinesh Chandimal – Even the Tsunami couldn’t stop him

Dinesh Chandimal’s life progressed quite normally for a major part. A talented youngster who scored tons of runs in school cricket he even managed to break their national school level record that stood for over 40 years. Beginning his cricketing career as an off-spinner, he was accused of chukking and when his coach angrily threw keeping gloves on him, he caught them firmly and that’s where his career as a keeper began.

Yet, the biggest twist in his life came when South East Asia and entire Sri Lanka was struck by Tsunami. The killer waves damaged all their property and Chandimal was devastated to an extent that his cricket kit and all other equipment were washed away. Apparently, it took a lot of time for him to get over the trauma being the victim of this horrendous tragedy, but he managed to move on.

Destiny sometimes brings a weird smirk on our face and in case of Dinesh Chandimal, he made his Test debut in the boxing day Test in 2011, exactly 7 years after Tsunami wrecked his entire family. At that point, he was happy that no one in his family lost their life due in the tragedy and years later, his endurance and love for the game helped him become the captain of the Sri Lankan side.

5. Yuvraj Singh – The man who attained immortality

Yuvraj Singh‘s childhood was not the most pleasant or peaceful one. He often recalls how mentally depressed he and his brother used to be as his parents fought. Keeping all this mental trauma aside, Yuvraj managed to break into the Indian side a tender age of 19 and right from the outset, he started playing match-winning knocks for the side.

Who can forget his banter with Andrew Flintoff, which eventually led to him spanking Stuart Broad, one of the best bowlers at that time, for six sixes in an over. And his 70-run knock against Australia in the quarter-final mostly remembered for his 119-meter six off Brett Lee and so many such memorable moments he furnished for Indian cricket.

Then came the moment when people started calling him the greatest limited overs cricketer in India when he delivered arguably the greatest individual performance in World Cup history. He helped Team India win the 2011 ICC World Cup with a spectacular all-round rendition and when people got to know he was doing all this with a deadly tumour inside his body, they were flattered by the fact that he decided to not go for treatment and instead help his country win the World Cup.

After recovering from cancer, his life hasn’t been very pretty, but he made a fairytale comeback in 2017, striking a mind-boggling 150 against England at Cuttack. Fans absolutely adore Yuvraj no matter how he is playing and to have defied so many odds throughout his life and reach this stage makes everyone stand up and salute the legend he is.