10 Popular Cricketers who got support everywhere
The crowd is a strange entity, ruled more by emotions than by facts. It doesn’t always support the legends, sometimes it roots for the underdogs. It loves some greats, others always keep thirsting for its approval. Across more than a century, it is hard to find a pattern to how some players always received love from the crowds and some players only drew hatred.Ask that to Novak Djokovic, who in the US Open was battling a great called Roger Federer at the Arthur Ashe Stadium but was more intimidated by the other opponent, the crowd chanting Federer’s name, egging him on, coaxing him to beat Djokovic, cheering his every point. Probably, that stage of genius, which transcends even crowd hostility and gets them to adore you is what players look for.Even in cricket, some players have always drawn much bigger crowds, more support and more veneration than others. It wasn’t that these players begged for the love of crowds; they just got it based on their natural stature in the game and their performances over the years.
#1 Sachin Tendulkar
Trademark – Almost flawless drives down the ground. Gentlemanly behaviour!
When he made his debut as a teenager, he evoked varying feelings from different strata of society. And when news of his being hit by Waqar Younis spread, followed by the report that he chose not to walk off and instead scored a half-century with that bloodied shirt, a destiny had been etched in stone.
For the better part of two and half decades from then on, Sachin was India’s most loved cricketer. Curly hair, small height, a cherub-like smile and a versatility on the field that combined with his passion just made people throng to the stadium or to the TV sets to watch him bat. India finally had a Number One in the world, who could on his day, destroy all other No.1 contenders.
He was a crowd hit and he has walked the tightrope and carried the burden all this while with great poise, like his stance and great dignity like his stable head before hitting the ball. Sachin played cricket and lived his life alike. To the best of his ability. Trying harder to succeed. The entire template to win the crowds was all right there. All the proof of his popularity was found when he received standing ovations around the world in England, Australia and South Africa when the crowds realised it would be his last tour.