5 Instances when Indian cricketers cried on the field

They say cricket is just a sport. It’s a sport which involves two teams and either of them goes onto win the matches. But, what human evolution has done is that it has given individuals a lot of emotion. And this involves people being emotional and passionate about a particular sport as well.

In cricket as well, winning and losing can have an emotional effect on a particular player. The hard work and practise that goes into playing the sports is often quite underestimated. It’s only obvious that if you play the sport with your full focus and give everything, the emotions might get better of you.

We have seen our favourite stars crying out of sadness or joy quite a few times. Here we bring you five instance when emotions got better of the Indian cricketers on the field.

5 Instances when Indian cricketers cried on the field:

1. Vinod Kambli

India had been really good throughout the 1996 World Cup. Going into the semi-final at the Eden Gardens, India were overwhelming favourites against Sri Lanka, who were at the time not the strongest team in the world. However, that changed after a few days as Sri Lanka went on to lift the trophy. They beat Australia in the final to remarkably win the World Cup in Lahore.

Coming back to the semi-final match, Sri Lanka batted first and posted a competitive 251 on the board. India was well on course in the run chase as Sachin Tendulkar was in top form. But then, the little master fell after scoring a half-century and India suddenly slipped from being 98 for 1 to 120 for 8. The dream of winning the World Cup was shattered. The Eden Gardens crowd didn’t appreciate the performance and there was a ruckus in the stands.

As the crowd started rioting, umpires and match referee Clive Llyod decided to stop the match. One man who watched the Indian team completely lose track of the chase was Vinod Kambli. He was unbeaten on 10 runs when the players were told to walk off. The match was awarded to Sri Lanka and Kambli walked back to the dressing room with tears in his eyes. The sight of him crying while walking back is still one of the most remembered images in Indian cricket history.

2. S Sreesanth

A lot was happening in 2008. The Indian Premier League (IPL) had just been launched and people were starting to realise what a great tournament it was going to be. However, the league was about to witness some controversy as well. Everything was running smoothly until that one night in Mohali.

It was a regular day in the office. Kings XI Punjab had just beaten Mumbai Indians by a margin of 66 runs at the PCA Stadium. However, at the post-match presentation, Kings XI Punjab pacer S. Sreesanth was seen crying. The cameras captured the sight, which became an infamous incident. His teammates were seen consoling him, but the fast bowler cried his heart out.

After some time, it was revealed that the stand-in skipper of Mumbai Indians, Harbhajan Singh had slapped the bowler after the match which led to the public breakdown. Harbhajan was banned for rest of the season after being found guilty of the act. The two have since been close mates again. Harbhajan had later publicly apologised to Sreesanth and the two have often regarded each other as brothers.

3. Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh

The story began in 2003. India had made it to the final of the World Cup but was battered and bruised by Australia. Young Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh had to deal with such a dramatic failure at quite a young age. The 2007 World Cup was the worst for team India as they were knocked out in the first round itself.

And then came 2nd April 2011. This day will always be the golden moment in the history of Indian cricket. India had become World Champions after 28 years. Those words from Ravi Shastri, that last six from MS Dhoni, that fighting knock of Gautam Gambhir and those wild scenes at the Wankhede Stadium will never be forgotten. But, there’s one more sight which will stay fresh in the memories of every Indian fan.

So, when India finally won the World Cup 2011, the emotions got the better of Yuvi and Bhajji. After managing to stay unbeaten in final against Sri Lanka, Yuvraj Singh couldn’t help but shed some tears. And so did his longtime friend and teammate, Harbhajan Singh.

4. Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli has won a lot of accolades over the years. He has a world cup winner’s medal and was also part of the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 winning squad. However, if something that Kohli hasn’t won yet is an ICC T20 World Cup. After not being picked for the ICC World T20 2010, Kohli finally got a chance to play in the tournament’s 2012 edition in Sri Lanka.

India had entered the tournament as one of the favourites. The team had a terrific start as well. After beating Afghanistan and England in the group stages, India was looking set to top its super eight group as well. But the win over Pakistan wasn’t enough to balance the heavy loss they faced against Australia. In their last match, India had to defeat South Africa by 30 or more runs to qualify. Interestingly, India had prevailed in a similar situation against the Proteas back in 2007 World T20.

India did win this match against South Africa but by just one run. This meant India failed to qualify for the semi-final in that edition. During the final stages of the match, when everyone knew that India had already been disqualified, the cameras turned to Kohli. The aggressive Delhi boy couldn’t control his emotions and was seen crying on the field.

5. Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar is not just a cricketer but an iconic figure for the entire nation. So, when the little master was going to say goodbye to the sport, the entire country wept and shared their Tendulkar story. The man, who showed very little emotion on the field throughout his career, had also become a little emotional.

As the last West Indian wicket fell and India won the match, the whole of Wankhede Stadium and the world realised that the Tendulkar era was going to get over. The Indian team did their part of giving tribute to the legend. However, Tendulkar decided to go ahead and show his respect to the turf of Wankhede Stadium.

While he was walking back to the dressing room, surrounded by all his teammates, the camera caught a sight which broke the hearts of millions of Indians. Sachin Tendulkar was seen rubbing his eyes as he cried. Maybe, after 24 years and 34357 runs, the god of cricket finally felt light after being released from the weight of expectations.