6 Indian Cricket Legends who hold an Engineering Degree
It is quite often said that India is a country where you become an engineer first and then decide what you need to do with your life. Well, given the fact that the country has more than 3000 engineering colleges, it comes as no surprise. The reasons behind this obsession with engineering are many and I will leave that discussion for another day.
Now, given this background, it becomes really difficult for an average Indian to venture into something as mundane as, say sports. I mean imagine if Roger Federer or Usain Bolt would have been asked to become an engineer before entering the field of sports.
So, it usually takes extraordinary skills if one has to succeed as a sportsperson in India. After all, one cannot get everything in life and choices has to be made. But in this world of making choices & sacrifices, there are few exceptions.
There are Indians who are engineers and have still excelled at sports at the highest level. Surprising as it may sound, but it is true and it is a testimony to the dedication of these engineer turned players.
And when it comes to sports, cricket is by far the most popular game in the country. So today, being Engineer’s Day; we take a look at six Indian cricketers who are also qualified engineers.
#1 Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble is easily the most famous engineer turned Indian cricketer. With 619 test & 337 ODI wickets, he is the highest wicket-taker for India in both the formats. He was India’s main strike bowler for most of his career and has been foxing the batsmen across the world.
But did you know that he might have been using his analytical skills to get the better of the best of batsmen? Kumble has a BE degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rashtreeya Vidyalaya College of Engineering, Bangalore. He got his degree in 1991-92 and also made his ODI debut around the same time.
Speaking about the importance of education, Kumble had once said, “"It helps to balance the good and bad. In cricket, you can't guarantee success, so education equips you to deal with it."
#2 Javagal Srinath
Arguably one of India’s best fast bowler, Javagal Srinath holds a BE degree in Instrumentation Technology from Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering, Mysuru. Although, Srinath made great strides as a cricketer and then later as a match referee; he feels that education is also important in the grooming of sportspersons.
Speaking at a function last year his message for the youngsters was - “You may feel clubbing education with cricket is a tough task in life. Going by the experience of cricketers like me, Anil Kumble and Krishnamachari Srikkanth, who have pursued engineering, it is not a difficult task to club education with cricket.
“Further, cricket is security in life too. Many may not be able to scale greater heights in cricket. In such circumstances, one may think of opting another career in life.”
#3 Ravichandran Ashwin
Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is currently India’s leading bowler across different formats. The way in which he approaches cricket has more often than not left the experts to make conclusions about his solid background and upbringing.
Well, Ashwin has a B.Tech degree in Information Technology from SSN College of Engineering, Chennai. In fact, like most of the engineers of his generation, he joined a software company post-graduation. But Ashwin does not think that engineering helped him in anyway in understanding the science and angles in cricket.
Speaking in an interview, Ashwin had said, “As for my engineering degree, my parents put me through it after I played my Under-17 cricket”. However, he acknowledges the fact that the hard yards that he had to go through in college made him realize how much he loved cricket.