The popularity of cricket among Indians is such that Indians worship cricket like religion, cricketers are adored for their skills on the field, some for their fitness, some known for their huge property and wealth status but many of their fans are unaware of the fact that their favourite cricket celebrities have served the army or are associated with a government job.
In this list, we have 7 such cricket players who also serve the government.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni- Honorary Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army
MS Dhoni, former Indian Captain, is also Lieutenant Colonel in Indian Territorial Army and was appointed in the Indian Army in 2011 for contributing to Indian sports. He trained with Territorial Army in 106 TA Battalion in Jammu and Kashmir for 15 days and was henceforth awarded with the title.
He was deployed in Kashmir as part of the Victor Force. Dhoni serves as the brand ambassador of the Indian Army and also participates in programs that inspire the youth to join the military and often posts several pictures on Instagram in his army uniform.
Sachin Tendulkar- IAF Honorary Group Captain
Sachin Tendulkar was designated as the first Group Captain in the Indian Air Force without any aviation background in 2010 although he did undergo basic training with the IAF. He is also a brand ambassador of the Indian Air Force with IAF chief Air Chief Marshal PV Naik that urges youngsters to join thew IAF.
He was also the first active sportsperson and cricketer to have been nominated in Rajya Sabha in 2012. However, his six long years term in Rajya Sabha has been criticized due to his absence in the parliamentary sessions.
Kapil Dev- Lieutenant Colonel, Indian Territorial Army
Kapil Dev is the first Indian captain who led his team to bring the first ever World Cup to India. In 2008, he was awarded an honorary position of Lieutenant Colonel in Indian Army. Apart from this, he was also appointed as first chancellor of the Sport University of Haryana in 2019.
Umesh Yadav- Reserve Bank of India as assistant manager, Nagpur
Umesh Yadav, one of the most revered cricketer and fast pace was awarded an honorary title of Assistant Manager in Reserve Bank of India in its Nagpur office and appointed as government official under the sports quota in 2017. However, he couldn’t complete the joining formalities, as cricket was his pain passion.
Joginder Singh Sharma- Deputy Superintendent of Police, Haryana
Joginder Singh Sharma who also played 2007 World Twenty20 cup was selected as Deputy Superintendent of Police by Haryana Government for his contribution to India. He is now located in Pehowa in the Kurukshetra district of Haryana.
Yuzvendra Chahal- Inspector, Income tax department
Chahal has outdone himself in the limited-overs squad and with Kuldeep Yadav, the duo is mastering the middle overs. He has grown increasingly popular in international cricket and therefore the Income Tax Department has offered him the job of an Income-tax officer.
Harbhajan Singh- Deputy Superintendent of Police, Punjab
Harbhajan Singh, Indian spinner, had been honoured with the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police by the Government of Punjab. Harbhajan was also seen sporting police uniform in his pictures on social media at that time.
Legendary Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh retired from all forms of cricket. The veteran off-spinner took to his Twitter handle and made his announcement. In a career spanning 23 years, Harbhajan Singh’s contribution to Indian cricket shall never be forgotten.
He is the first Indian bowler to bag a hat-trick in Test cricket. He is still India’s fourth-leading wicket-taker in Tests. Harbhajan took 417 wickets to his name including 25 five-wicket hauls and 16 four-wicket hauls.
He also took 269 wickets in ODIs and 25 wickets in the shortest form of the game. Harbhajan scored 9 fifties and 2 centuries in Test cricket. The 41-year-old’s tweet reads: “All good things come to an end and today as I bid adieu to the game that has given me everything in life, I would like to thank everyone who made this 23-year-long journey beautiful and memorable.”
He was part of the Indian team that won the 2011 ODI World Cup. He played a phenomenal role where he took 9 wickets to his name. Interestingly, he was also a part of the team that won the 2007 T20 World Cup in South Africa.
What did Harbhajan say on his YouTube channel?
“My journey from the streets of Jalandhar to become the Turnabator for Team India has been a beautiful one. There is no bigger motivation for me in life than stepping out on the field while wearing the India jersey.
However, there comes a time in life where we have to take a tough decision and you have to move forward in life. I was waiting for the last few years to make this announcement public – I am retiring from all forms of cricket,” Harbhajan said on his official YouTube channel.
“In many ways, I had already retired as a cricketer, but hadn’t been able to make a formal announcement. I haven’t been an active cricketer for a while. But I had a commitment to Kolkata Knight Riders, and wanted to spend the (2021) IPL season with them. But during the season itself, I had made up my mind to retire,” Harbhajan added.