Six Successful Indian Cricketers Who Left Their Studies For Cricket

Cricket in India is a religion. It is a dream of almost every cricket fanatic to possibly one day represent the country at the highest level. In a country of a billion cricket fans, there are a lot of sacrifices that one has to make in order to realize that dream.

And, so we see young kids drop out from their schools or colleges in order to pursue their dreams. Not everyone is successful as a handful of players get to breach that barrier and play the game at the elite level.

Here’s a look at six successful Indian cricketers who left their studies for cricket:

Also Read: Five Cricketers Whose Life Story Can Make For A Blockbuster Movie

Hardik Pandya

The Baroda all-rounder is a perfect example of ‘from rags to riches’. Hardik hails from a very humble, economically challenged backgrounds.

The right-handed swashbuckling all-rounder flunked Class 9 examination, post which he quit studying after his school started demanding fees, which according to Hardik, they had agreed to waive off earlier.

Hardik decided to pursue his passion and his life fortunes changed in 2015 when John Wright, Mumbai Indians talent scout, saw him bludgeoning a bowling attack-led by Zaheer Khan in a domestic T20.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Zaheer Khan

Zaheer Khan had passed his HSC exam with flying colors [83℅] and had even landed himself a seat in Pravara College of Engineering when he got a call-up to play in the Mumbai U-19 side.

Zaheer chose cricket over-engineering (thank God for that) and a decade and a half later, finished as one of the greatest fast bowlers the country has ever produced.

MS Dhoni

Mahendra Singh Dhoni had enrolled himself at St. Xavier’s College in Ranchi for his graduation [B.Com] back in 2010. However, according to reports, the champion Indian wicketkeeper did not show up for his exams.

Dhoni later flunked his first semester exams of Bachelor of Business Management and Secretarial Practice. In 2013, the 2011 World Cup-winning captain refused to accept his graduation degree by the college. Again, we are not complaining.

Kapil Dev

Imagine what would have been, had a young Kapil Dev opted to choose studies over his passion of playing cricket. The ‘Haryana Hurricane’ dropped out of college to pursue his dream and Indian cricket can’t be more thankful to him.

Kapil Dev made his debut in 1978 and during the course of his 16-year-old career, he scripted a whirlwind revolution in Indian cricket which includes leading the side to its maiden World Cup win in 1983, single-handedly leading the pace attack and also proving to be a source of inspiration for the next generation of Indians to take up fast bowling.

Kapil Dev made fast bowling ‘sexy’ in India. The result is your Srinaths’, Zaheer Khans, Shamis’, Pathan’, Bumrahs’ etc.

Rahul Dravid

Just like in cricket, Rahul Dravid was incredibly meticulous when it came to his studies. He breezed past his school education, completed his graduation degree in commerce from St. Joseph’s College and was in the process of completing his MBA program when a national call-up beckoned

Thankfully Dravid chose cricket over MBA. Indian cricket got its ‘Wall’ which would serve as its shield for almost the entirety of his 16-year-old career.

There are sportspersons, there are Role models and then there is Rahul Dravid ???? pic.twitter.com/R95l3DzmLR

— The Frustrated Indian (@FrustIndian) January 25, 2017

In early 2017, Dravid once again won the hearts of his fans when he declined his doctorate degree conferred on him by the Bangalore University. Dravid said he’d rather earn it by researching on a subject in the field of sports rather than receiving it as an honorary degree. Before this, the former Indian captain had also refused a doctorate from Gulbarga University.

Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar was a child prodigy and so when his peers were burying themselves in books, he was busy facing the likes of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Sir Richard Hadlee as a 16-year-old.

Sachin gave his HSC exam 1.5 years after making his India debut [June 1991] but just like his 194 at Multan in 2004, the little genius missed out from passing marks by six runs.

And, his late father summed it up beautifully in one line-

“He almost got through” as quoted by India Today.

Tendulkar, of-course did not continue with his studies and went about doing what he knew best: dominate world cricket for the next two and a half decades.