Cricket in India is about passion, perseverance, courage and the ability to withstand pain. The nation has witnessed many players from the past and in the present, who have given it their all when it comes to playing for their home country.
Notably, players dream of playing for their country and the ultimate goal would be to represent India in a multinational tournament. With Rohit Sharma almost pulling off an unbelievable win in the second ODI against the Litton Das-led Bangladesh on December 7, Wednesday, we decided to handpick four players who played with an injury and won the hearts.
Here are the four players who continued playing for India despite the injury:
1) Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble, the former Indian spinner, once played with a bandage on his face and went on to win hearts as he carried on to bowl post getting injured while batting alongside Ajay Ratra in 2022 in a Test match against West Indies.
The most impressive part of his gritty act came when he picked up the wicket of Brian Lara and shifted the momentum in India’s favour. The match and Kumble’s act still remain the pinnacle of dedication, given that Indian fans have witnessed many such instances since then.
2) Kedar Jadhav
Kedar Jadhav is known for his ability to find gaps and score valuable runs in quick succession. It was probably one of the reasons why the Indian team management kept banking on him despite knowing that his injury was a concern.
Eventually, Jadhav pulled off a stunning win against Bangladesh in the 2018 Asia Cup when India required 6 runs off the final over chasing a target of 223. But the win did not come easily as Jadhav suffered a hamstring injury and was struggling to keep himself fit post the injury concern.
3) Hanuma Vihari
Hanuma Vihari joined hands with Ravichandran Ashwin during the third Test match of 2020/21 Border Gavaskar Trophy played in Australia, with the hope to clinch a draw, that India were losing earlier. Eventually, the duo pulled off the unbelievable feat and drew the Test match, keeping India alive in the race to clinch the series.
To add more, Vihari was struggling to keep up with the pace and wrath of the Baggy Greens pacers and eventually, had to endure great pain while staying in the crease. Eventually, after playing with a lot of patience, Vihari and Ashwin drew the match.
4) Rohit Sharma
India faced off Bangladesh in the second ODI of the three-match series on December 7, Wednesday and chasing a target of 272, the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma came in at Number 9 and scored an unbeaten 51.
However, the knock did not pay off and went in vain as the Men in Blue failed to cross over the line, falling short of the target by 6 runs. Eventually, Rohit’s knock was widely praised and the fans left no stone unturned to share snippets of his iconic knock all over the internet.