7 Prominent players who beat the odds to play international cricket

7 Prominent players who beat the odds to play international cricket: As footballer Lionel Messi once said, “It took me 17 years of hard work to become an overnight success”, every cricketer who has played international cricket for their respective countries has done a lot of hard work to reach the stage. But the journey might not be the same for each player. Some players, due to some reason or other, have to face and overcome a lot of hardships to achieve success. In this list, we look at 7 Prominent players who beat the odds to play international cricket: 1. Bhagwat Chandrashekar (India): B S Chandrasekhar. (© Getty Images) Before the arrival of one Anil Kumble, he was considered India’s premier leg-spinner. In a career spanning 58 Test matches, he took about 242 wickets at a decent average of 29. But what makes his achievement noticeable was his right arm, which was his bowling arm, withered during his childhood due to a polio attack. After recovering from the attack at the age of 10, he moved to Banglore and decided to become a leg spinner, and the rest is history. 2. Tony Greig (England): Tony Greig. (© Shaun Botterill/Allsport) The late Tony Grieg was known for his catchy commentary, but he was more than a handy player during his cricketing career. He had a decent career, having played 58 test matches and 22 ODIs, but considering the fact that he had epilepsy from age 14 is a great achievement in itself. His ailment was made public in 1978, post retiring from cricket 3. Martin Guptill (New Zealand): Martin Guptill. (© Getty Images) While losing three toes in a leg cannot be considered as something which is very serious, but to become one of the premier batsmen to represent a country by playing with only two toes in one of the legs is an achievement in itself. Martin Guptill lost three of his toes in an accident when he was aged 13, but that did not stop him from representing his country in all the three formats over the past 5 years. 4. Matthew Wade (Australia): Matthew Wade. (© Getty Images) To play for an Australian team in itself is an achievement, but beating cancer to fulfill his dream is a fairytale of sorts. Matthew Wade, the spiritual successor of Brad Haddin behind the stumps, was diagnosed with testicular cancer in his teenage. After receiving two rounds of chemotherapy when aged 16, Wade was cleared from the disease. 5. Mohammad Yousuf (Pakistan): Mohammad Yousuf. (© Getty Images) Cricket is not one of the most cheapest games to play, but lack of money doesn’t stop one from achieving his dreams. And Mohammad Yousuf is one of them. Picked up from Obscurity of slums in Lahore, he went on to become one of the greatest batsmen to have hailed from Pakistan. He did not have money during his childhood to buy a bat. In spite of not having cricket as a primary career option, he was reputed for his shot selection. Once picked for a local game to fill up the team members for a city league, he scored a century in his first match, and the rest is history for this Pakistani great. 6. Munaf Patel (India): (Photo Source: Associated Press) From being born in a village with a population of 8000, to play a pivotal part in India’s World Cup campaign in 2011, it is a stuff of dreams. And that’s exactly the career path of Munaf Patel. Once hailed as India’s answer for pace problems, Munaf Patel came out of nowhere to play for his country. While he might not be in the international radar anymore, his career path is stuff of movies and will motivate many more young talented players who hail from villages. Special Mention 7. Afghanistan Cricket Team: Afghanistan. (© Getty Images) When a country torn apart by terrorism and poor economy, cricket was the ray of hope and escape from reality for some of them. And today, beating poverty and terrorism, Afghanistan cricket team has made a mark in international cricket, and is one of the most prominent minnows in international cricket. A team consisting of former refugees and cricketers from a poor background, it is indeed a great achievement to play toe-to-toe against international giants from playing “gully cricket” in with broken bats and makeshift stumps. Hats off to Afghanistan cricket.