5 Indian cricketers who have gotten involved in politics

Cricketers have a larger-than-life reputation in India, and they are adored more than any other form of celebrity. They are well-known in every part of the country.

After establishing their worth on the cricket pitch, many players enter politics in order to serve the country. They attempt to exploit their social prominence to influence people and bring about societal change.

Politics, like cricket, is a challenging career in India. While many cricketers have turned to politics for a second chance, just a few have found success.

On that point, here are five Indian cricketers who have dabbled in politics.

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5. Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir, who made his political debut with the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, has already built a name for himself.

He ran in the East Delhi Lok Sabha constituency against AAP’s Atishi Marlena and Congress’ Arvinder Singh Lovely. The former Indian opener blew his opponents out of the water, winning by nearly 7 lakh votes.

Gambhir has been a staunch supporter of the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party ever since. He is frequently seen engaging in a verbal brawl with political opponents and confronting them.

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4. Manoj Tiwary

The great domestic run-scorer is one of the few active cricketers to enter politics. In 2021, the Bengal stalwart joined the All India Trinamool Congress.

Manoj Tiwary ran for the Shibpur constituency in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly elections in 2021. He was elected and then appointed Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs.

Manoj played for Bengal in the just concluded Ranji Trophy despite being extremely busy with political work. The right-handed hitter scored 433 runs in five matches, averaging 43.30, with two centuries and five fifties.

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3. Mohammad Azharuddin

While many people identify Azharuddin with the match-fixing controversy, the wristy and elegant batsman is one of India’s best. His pad flicks were entertaining to watch. In international cricket, he scored over 15,000 runs for India.

Azharuddin was out of the public eye for about ten years after the historic match-fixing scandal broke, before returning to serve the people as a lawmaker.

He entered politics in 2009, running for the Indian National Congress in the Lok Sabha elections from Moradabad. Azharuddin has also served as the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee’s working president.

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2. Kirti Azad

Kirti Azad is from a political family and was a member of the 1983 World Cup-winning team. His father, Congress politician Bhagwat Jha Azad, was the Chief Minister of Bihar.

Azad, who played seven Tests and 25 One-Day Internationals for India, tried his hand at broadcasting before entering politics. The former cricketer joined the BJP and served the party for more than two decades, earning the Darbhanga seat in Bihar.

He was expelled from the party after criticising senior leader Arun Jaitley for suspected irregularities and corruption in the Delhi and District Cricket Association. He was elected to Congress in 2019 before joining TMC in time for the 2022 Legislative Assembly elections in five states.

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1. Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh, one of the finest off-spinners in cricket history, has a long list of accomplishments. He was a major figure in several historic victories for India, including the 2007 World T20 and 2011 World Cup sides.

Harbhajan entered politics after a great career in which he took over 700 international wickets across all forms.

Harbhajan took his oath as a Member of Parliament for the Aam Admi Party (AAP) in Rajya Sabha on Monday (July 18). In the coming days, the former cricketer has stated his desire to serve the people of Punjab and the nation.

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