We have seen cricketers on the batting pitch, hitting the ball with maximum force landing it into the stands. Apart from the batting pitch, they got on the political pitch and tried to hit some big shots. Some of them failed to make their mark in the political arena, whereas some attained success.
1. Gautam Gambhir
Former Indian batsman and KKR captain, who led his team to the IPL triumph twice joined BJP in 2019. Gambhir who was part of the world cup winning team, contested for the Lok Sabha seat in East Delhi, won his electoral debut against AAP’s Atishi. He is currently a member of the Lok Sabha and seems to be proficient in this field.
2. Navjot Singh Sidhu
Sidhu’s political career portrays fickleness. He joined BJP in 2004 and kept on changing his party; he then launched his front called “Awaz E Punjab '' in 2016, which turned out to be a massive failure. In 2021, he decided to join Congress, and recently, he took over as the Punjab Congress Chief. He is viewed as an opportunist by the politicians.
3. Mohammad Azharuddin
Former Indian captain Azhar found his niche in politics in 2009 and decided to join Congress. He had an illustrious cricketing life, unlike his political one. He became a member of parliament in 2009 though his fate did not seem to favor him t made him lose the elections. He was last appointed as the Congress working president in Telangana in 2018.
4. Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi
Also known as Tiger Pataudi, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi first fought the General elections in 1971 on the Vishal Haryana Party Ticket. In 1991 he again decided to test his fate in the political foray by contesting in the Lok Sabha election as a Congress candidate for the Bhopal Constituency. However, he had to taste failure in his second attempt and had to culminate his political career.
5. Mohammed Kaif
Kaif’s political career was as brief as his cricketing career. He joined the Indian National Congress in 2014 and contested in Lok Sabha elections from Phulpur Constituency of Uttar Pradesh and lost to a BJP contender. He believes that politics divides people.
6. Vinod Kambli
Kambli, a former Indian batsman, was the Vice President of the Bhakti Shakti party. He lost the 2009 Assembly election, where he contested on Lok Bhartiya Party’s Ticket. Politics did not turn out to be his cup of tea.
7. Chetan Chauhan
Former Indian Cricketer had gone down as a successful politician. He first fought the general election in 1991 as a BJP candidate from Amorah and won with 59% of the votes. He was also a vital member of the Parliamentary Committee for Finance and the consultative committee for HRD. He again won the 2017 Assembly elections before having succumbed to COVID-19 in 2020.
8. Manoj Tiwary
An underrated cricketer turned politician Manoj Tiwary recently joined Trinamool Congress, and won his first assembly elections in 2021, and became a member of the legislative assembly of Bengal. He is currently appointed as the minister of state for affairs of Sports and Youth. Unlike his cricketing career, his political career took off quite well.
9. Sreesanth
Sreesanth’s cricketing career revolved around controversies after he was banned for spot-fixing. He contested the Kerala Assembly elections in 2016 on the Ticket of BJP. Though his first elections were a moment of a damp squib, he continues to be a politician and is determined to contest the 2024 elections.
10. Kirti Azad
Kirti Azad served as a member of Lok Sabha from 1999 to 2004. He was a member of BJP till 2015 after he was suspended for his allegations against then Finance minister Mr. Arun Jaitley. He joined Congress in 2019 and will contest in the upcoming elections from the Darbhanga constituency of Bihar. He is said to be serving his third Lok Sabha tenure.
