13 Cricketing stories of rags to riches in Indian cricket

Globally, the game of cricket has undergone a sea of change in terms of formats, techniques and rules, over the years. Test cricket has paved way for shorter and exciting formats of One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 cricket, jerseys have changed hues from white to bright colours, boundaries have become shorter and cricketing shots have been rewritten in the rule book. Indian cricket has also revamped itself, keeping tune with the proceedings worldwide. One of the major changes that have occurred in the game in India is that gone are the days when only the aristocrats and royalties would get to don the pristine, white jerseys and walk out onto the lush green cricket fields when cricket was labelled as a game for the Maharajas and not the ordinary masses. Today, cricket is a game for one and for all. If we take a look at the Indian cricketing circle, we will encounter numerous inspirational stories of players who have traversed their way from rags to riches. 1. Umesh Yadav Umesh Yadav. (Photo Source: Twitter) As the son of a coal miner, Indian pacer, Umesh Yadav had to witness the worst of adversities before making it big. His father was employed as a coal mine worker from Deoria district in Uttar Pradesh and Yadav spent his childhood in Valli, a village of miners and their families. Owing to their constrained income, he was only able to participate in tennis-ball tournaments while growing up, as he could not afford to practice with the standard cricket ball. Moreover, Yadav had absolutely no plans to become a cricketer. He dreamt of working in the army or the police force, but fate had different plans for him. At 20 years of age, Yadav was persuaded by a friend to try out his hand in leather-ball cricket and from there on, there was no looking back for him! At 22 he was playing for India. At 23, he had been bought for $750,000 in the 2011 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction and since then, he’s become one of the sturdiest pillars in the Indian pace department. 2. Mohammed Shami Indian cricketer Mohammed Shami. (Photo by LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI/AFP/Getty Images) Indian pace master, Mohammed Shami’s journey is truly an inspirational one. Born in the rural backdrop of Uttar Pradesh, Shami’s talent was first noticed by his father, Tousif Ali, who had also been a fast bowler in his youth. Being a farmer, Ali was not in a state to make ends meet, but that didn’t hinder him from encouraging his son to play cricket. Shami resettled to Kolkata in 2006, in order to chase his dreams of playing for his country. From earning a paltry sum of Rs. 500 per match day to sleeping inside a club tent on the vast Kolkata Maidan, the reverse-swing specialist has fought against all the woes in life. Currently, not only does he own a luxurious apartment and a premium sedan, but he also acknowledges and stays true to his humble roots. In fact, the 27-year old cricketer has contributed largely in bringing about development in his ancestral village. 3. Ravindra Jadeja Ravindra Jadeja. (Photo Source: Instagram) Hailing from a modest background, Ravindra Jadeja’s ascent to fame and glory is much like a fairytale. Before he was lovingly entitled by the title of “Sir Jadeja” by the entire nation, Ravindra had to wade through troubled waters in his formative years. Since his father worked as a security guard, their family income was not enough to support a budding cricketer. However, young Jadeja drew inspiration and support from his mother, who was his constant companion. When his mother passed away in 2005, Ravindra had been at the end of his wit and even considered giving up on cricket. But his sister and father continued to provide him monetary and emotional support, and Jaddu went on to be a part of the 2008 World-Cup winning India U-19 side, where he also served as the vice-captain. After having secured his place in the Indian team as a dependable all-rounder, he asked his father to retire and also bought a bungalow for his family. Jadeja’s story of hard work to reach the pedestal of fame that he stands at today is, indeed a glowing inspiration to many. 4. Zaheer Khan Zaheer Khan. (© PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP/Getty Images) When we speak about stalwart pacers to have played for India, we cannot help but name Zaheer Khan amongst the top brass. Zaheer is the only Indian pacer, apart from Kapil Dev to have picked up more than 300 wickets in international cricket. As a young child, Zaheer was passionate about cricket and was eventually selected in the Mumbai Cricket Club, for which he had to leave his family and stay in Mumbai, with his aunt. He used to live in a small room in the hospital, where his aunt had been employed as a helper. More often than not, Zak went to practice without having any food and would sleep at night without a pillow or a blanket. However, his fortune took a turn for the better after his then coach got him a job with a steady salary of Rs. 5000 per month, and with this money, Zaheer was able to support his cricketing dreams. From there, there was only the rise and rise of Zaheer Khan! He led the Indian pace department for more than 15 years and is a name that’ll forever be etched in gold in Indian cricket. 5. Ramesh Powar Ramesh Powar. (Photo by DESHAKALYAN CHOWDHURY/AFP/Getty Images) Ramesh Powar was often ridiculed for his stocky built and even considered incapable of playing cricket by many critics. However, the off-spinner, who was a handy lower order batsman as well, battled all odds to make a mark in Indian cricket. Powar had a tough childhood as his mother passed away when he was very young. It was his sister who supported him all throughout his early playing days. He eventually went onto play for India in 2 Tests and 31 ODIs and picked up 6 and 34 wickets in the 2 formats, respectively. A popular incident involving the offie is that he travelled to the airport in an auto rickshaw while most of his Indian team-mates got off luxury cars. 6. Yusuf Pathan and Irfan Pathan Irfan Pathan. (Photo Source: ICC via Getty Images) The Pathan brothers are known to almost every modern cricket fan, owing to their astounding cricketing abilities. While Yusuf is famed for his power hitting, Irfan made his mark with his impeccable swing bowling. Both the brothers have been a part of historic moments in Indian cricket. But their childhood wasn’t all that rosy! The Pathan family initially had to live their days in a mosque, since they did not own a residence of their own. After a few years, they did move into a house of their own, but it only comprised a single room, where a family of five, including Yusuf, Irfan, their sister, brother and parents had to live. Yusuf Pathan of India. (Photo by Ritam Banerjee/Getty Images) They couldn’t afford proper cricketing gear as their father, who worked in the local mosque, earned a meagre monthly wage of Rs. 200-250. In an interview, their father revealed that Irfan used to borrow Rs.50 from him occasionally to buy second-hand shoes from a local Friday market, and patch them up for use, since they were unable to afford costly sports shoes. While Irfan was a part of the victorious Indian team in the World T20, 2007 and the Champions Trophy 2013; Yusuf lifted the 2011 World Cup trophy with the Men in Blue. 7. Munaf Patel Munaf Patel of India. (Photo by Hamish Blair/Getty Images) Hailing from the distant village, Ikhar of Gujarat, young Munaf Patel saw the grim face of poverty up close. While his father was employed as a labourer, Munaf himself contributed to his family’s earnings by working as a child labourer in a child factory, for which he was able to earn Rs. 35 per day. He was well-known in his village for his pace bowling, but being the victim of harsh circumstances, he didn’t have the amenities to practice cricket at a professional level. Deprived of standard cricketing equipment, he would play with tennis balls, while wearing chappals instead of spiked boots. He was well-known in his village for his pace bowling, but being the victim of harsh circumstances, he didn’t have the amenities to practice cricket at a professional level. Deprived of standard cricketing equipment, he would play with tennis balls, while wearing chappals instead of spiked boots. Life finally looked brighter for Patel when he was selected into the Baroda Club, and subsequently went on to be coached by the legendary fast bowler, Dennis Lillee at the MRF Pace Academy. It was at this academy that he was noticed by Australian great, Steve Waugh for his quick bowling and Waugh recommended the young talent to Sachin Tendulkar. Beating all odds, Patel made his debut for India in 2006 and went on to become a successful pacer for the nation. He was also a part of the 2011 World Cup winning Indian side, where he was the 3rd highest wicket-taker of the tournament, with 11 wickets to his name. 8. Hardik Pandya Hardik Pandya. Hardik Pandya’s name is one that every cricket enthusiast in India is well aware of right now. Be it his heroics in the final match against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy or his fearless knocks for his franchise, Mumbai Indians in the IPL, the young right-hander has made a niche for himself in a very short span of time. His life is the most surreal rags to riches story that one can come across. Hardik along with his brother, Krunal, had a common dream of playing cricket at the highest level. Not having been endowed with the good fortune of being rich, the brothers, along with their parents had to shift from Surat to Vadodara where their father was employed in various odd jobs, in an attempt to support his family. Matters worsened when their father suffered from multiple heart attacks, forcing the two brothers to play their hearts out at local tournaments, in order to earn extra cash to sustain their family. Hardik confessed in an interview that he and his brother often survived on a single helping of noodles throughout the day, playing one match after the other to earn money. Looking back at Hardik’s journey, it appears as a dream that was just meant to come true! 9. Mohammed Siraj Mohammed Siraj. (Photo: IANS) Coming from a lower-middle-class household, 23-year-old Mohammed Siraj wouldn’t have imagined in the wildest of dreams that he’d stir up a storm in the player auction of IPL, 2017. His first income as a cricketer had been a mere Rs. 500 in a club match, where he had picked up 9 wickets for 20 odd runs in a 25-over game. It was his maternal uncle who had given him the money as a prize. Siraj credits his parents for having made innumerable sacrifices to provide him with the best cricketing facilities. In his own words, he “went numb” in front of his television set, when he raked in a staggering bid of Rs. 2.6 Crores from the Sunrisers Hyderabad team. 10. Kedar Jadhav India’s Kedar Jadhav.(Photo by JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images) Indian middle-order batting sensation, Kedar Jadhav has risen from dire states to make a name for himself. He belonged to a small town, Madha in the Solapur district of Maharashtra and his father worked as a clerk in the Maharashtra State Electricity Board. Jadhav had three elder sisters who were extremely meritorious. However, the cricketer himself did not find his calling in his studies and dropped out of school after the ninth grade. From there, he gradually rose in the ranks by first playing in Maharashtra’s Ranji squad and then bagging hefty IPL pay packages for his stellar performances in domestic cricket. His fantasies finally turned into reality when he stepped on to the field in the Indian jersey. From then on, he has slammed 565 runs in 25 ODIs for the nation, with the highest score of 120 runs and has also come in handy as a right-arm offbreak bowler, having picked up 11 wickets in the proceedings. 12. Thangarasu Natarajan T. Natarajan. (Photo Source: Sportstarlive) A boy, who grew up doing odd jobs like distributing newspapers or milk in order to boost his small family income, fought his way into under the limelight. Thangarasu Natarajan was bought by the Kings XI Punjab franchise in IPL 10 for a sum of Rs. 3 crores, making him the second-most expensive domestic but of the season. Son of a daily wage earner at a saree factory, with a small tea stall business on the side, T Natarajan played cricket only to get the cash prizes at local tennis ball tournaments. However, the universe saw to it that the young man’s talent did not go to waste! He was first selected in the renowned Jolly Rovers team of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association League and subsequently drafted into the state Ranji team in his 20s. Although he had to warm the benches for two years owing to suspected bowling action, it was only a minor bump in Natarajan’s career graph. Famous for his tight death over spells as a pacer, Natarajan’s story of success is nothing short of a miracle. 13. Nathu Singh Nathu Singh. (Photo Source: Twitter) 21-year old Nathu Singh was signed by the Mumbai Indians for a sum of Rs. 3.2 crores in the 9th edition of the IPL. Singh’s roots were submerged in poverty as he spent his childhood as the child of a factory worker in Rajasthan. When asked about those years, he said, “I mostly used to train alone by myself. I still remember the first time ever I asked my dad for money was to play cricket, to invest in a bat and ball. And I want to repay that money to my dad. I also took up odd jobs to buy cricket kits.” His dreams came true when he performed stupendously well with the pink ball in a Duleep Trophy game and became the only Indian bowler to claim 5 wickets. From here on, he caught the attention of the IPL team owners and was bought into the Mumbai side in and subsequently, the Gujarat Lions side in IPL 10. It is It is from this struggle that Singh draws constant inspiration and in his own word, he describes it as, “I have all the images in my heart. Of poverty, of my struggling parents, of where I came from. Whenever I feel depressed, or even when I go out to play, I recall those images, and no matter where I go in life, those images will forever remain imprinted in me.”

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13 Cricketing stories of rags to riches in Indian cricket

If we take a look at the Indian cricketing circle, we will encounter numerous inspirational stories of players who have traversed their way from rags to riches.

9. Mohammed Siraj

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