Top 10 selfless players in the history of cricket

The game of cricket is full of players who’re passionate and never shy away from showing their aggressive nature on the pitch. Every cricket team has its star player who is often the poster boy of the group. The player is often seen getting all the perks and all his demands are met by the team management. However, there are also a few players who’re selfless and ready to do anything for their team. Such players don’t often get much limelight but are an integral part of any squad. On that note, let’s take a look at 10 players who won the hearts of fans with their selfless behaviour in cricket:

Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid (Source: Twitter)

Rahul Dravid is known as the most selfless cricketer of all time. His contribution to the Indian team is unparalleled. He gave his services in all dimensions of the game. He captained the side, kept the wickets, batted wherever the team asked him and never complained.

To describe Dravid’s selflessness, Harsha Bhogle once said, “If you ask Dravid to walk on water for his team, he would ask in return for how many kilometres?”

Graeme Smith

Graeme Smith (Source: Twitter)

Graeme Smith is counted amongst the legendary captains in the history of cricket. He put his everything on the line for South Africa. He once came out to bat with a broken hand to save a Test match for his team. Smith earned respect from all the fans for his valiant effort.

Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina (Source: Twitter)

If there was any cricketer who enjoyed other players’ success as his own, it was Suresh Raina. He was always seen enjoying the success of his teammates and had a smile on his face on most occasions. Raina always looked to contribute to the team’s success in every manner possible. He was also seen motivating the youngsters when he consoled Rishabh Pant after he missed out on his century against the Gujarat franchise in the Indian T20 League.

MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni (Source: Twitter)

MS Dhoni is hailed as one of the smartest brains in the history of cricket. He often took several harsh decisions for the team. Dhoni mostly batted lower down the order to give opportunities to the youngsters. During his captaincy, he faced backlash from the media for repeatedly giving chances to some players. However, Dhoni always had a long vision and most of the players he backed turned out to be modern superstars of the game.

Adam Gilchrist

Adam Gilchrist (Source: Twitter)

Adam Gilchrist is the nicest Australian cricketer ever. He has a huge fan following across the globe for his good behaviour on the field. Gilchrist was the ‘smiling assasin’ in cricket as he would rip apart many bowling attacks effortlessly.

During the semi-finals of the 2003 world cup against Sri Lanka, Gilchrist walked despite the umpire giving him not out. The selfless act by Gilchrist earned him huge respect in the eyes of the cricketing fraternity.

Richard Hadlee

Richard Hadlee (Source: Twitter)

Hadlee is regarded as one of the greatest all-rounders to grace the game of cricket. He put his incredible selflessness on display when he denied himself the achievement of becoming the second bowler ever to pick all 10 wickets in Test cricket. He took an incredible catch running backwards on the bowling of his teammate despite being just a wicket away from the record.

Sports journalist Frank Keating called it “Catch of the century, not because of the difficulty level but because of the selflessness Hadlee showed.

Anil Kumble

Anil Kumble (Source: Twitter)

Anil Kumble is one of the legends of the game of cricket. He’s India’s highest wicket-taker in international cricket. Kumble gave an example of his selflessness when he came on to bowl with a fractured jaw in a Test against the West Indies. He ended up picking Brian Lara’s wicket and earned huge respect in the cricketing fraternity.

Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh (Source: Twitter)

The story of Yuvraj Singh during the 2011 ODI World Cup is a testament to his strong character. Being out of form in the year 2010, Yuvraj staged a comeback for the ages in the marquee tournament. His stupendous performance earned him the prestigious ‘Player of the Tournament’ award. What made the achievement even more special is the fact that he gave this performance while suffering from cancer. Yuvraj literally put his life on the line to win the World Cup for his country.

Kane Williamson

Kane Willaimson (Source: Twitter)

Williamson is the most loved cricketer in the modern era. He’s known as the nicest guy in cricket for his calm demeanour on the field. He has often inspired his team with his selfless decisions and by keeping the spirit of the game alive. During the epic final of the 2019 ODI world cup, Williamson showed great character in accepting one of the unluckiest defeats in the history of cricket.

Jacques Kallis

Jacques Kallis (Source: Twitter)

Arguably the greatest cricketer ever to play the game, Jacques Kallis has given his everything for South Africa on the cricket field. The all-rounder took his team out of misery with his scintillating knocks time and again. He also bowled several overs in the scorching heat on numerous occasions to help his captain in keeping the main bowlers fresh. He continued his selfless service to South Africa for 18 years and never complained about anything.

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