10 famous Indian cricketers and schools they played for

Indian Cricket has been able to achieve unbelievable heights only because of its stakeholders who have taken the responsibility to carry it on their shoulders. There have been many prominent names in Indian Cricket, who not only have held unimaginable records but have also contributed to the game significantly.

However, what one fails to notice is the appreciation of the source which recognised the spark in these cricketers. It was their schools/colleges where most of the cricketers first came to know about the game which later became a part of their life. These schools and their coaches have played a fundamental role in building and producing these cricketers who brought glory to the nation.

Here we take a look at 10 cricketers and schools which they represented.

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#1 Sachin Tendulkar - Sharadashram Vidya Mandir (Mumbai)

Sachin’s school had a very prominent role in developing the child prodigy that he was. He was advised by his then cricket coach Ramakant Achrekar to shift his schooling to Sharadashram Vidya Mandir School after he felt that Sachin possessed immense talent and capabilities.

The Vidya Mandir was a dominant team in Mumbai circles and his coach felt that this would provide Sachin great exposure. Sachin was a constant part of his school team where he was developing as a future cricketing star.

The 43-year-old went on to become the most accomplished cricketer in India where he played 200 tests and 463 ODI’s, amassing tons of runs and creating quite a few unbreakable records.

#2 Virat Kohli - Savier Convent (Delhi)

Kohli began his schooling at Vishal Bharti Public school in West Delhi but soon shifted to Savier Convent (Paschim Vihar) for better cricket opportunities. Kohli used to train under the guidance of Rajkumar Sharma at West Delhi Cricket academy where he was recognised for his batting talent.

The 28-year-old came to limelight after he led India to the ICC Under-19 world cup title in 2008 at Malaysia. He improved on his game constantly and soon managed to seal his place in the team. He has played many record breaking innings since then and is currently the captain of the Indian Test team.

#3 Gautam Gambhir – Modern School (Delhi)

Gambhir started playing cricket at the age of 10 and his talent was first recognised by the cricket coach of Modern School in Delhi. He was groomed by his coach and he later went on to play some outstanding innings for them, announcing himself ready for the big stage.

The prolific left-handed batsman was selected for the National Cricket academy in 2000 and he has never looked back since then. He went on to play for India after that and made his ODI debut in 2003 against Bangladesh.

The 35-year-old went on to play stupendous cricket for India for over 13 years and has played some historic innings, including match-winning knocks in the 2007 T-20 World Cup final and 2011 World Cup final.

#4 Rahul Dravid - St Joseph’s Boys’ High school (Bengaluru)

Rahul Dravid was first introduced to cricket at the age of 12 and it took him no time to fall in love with it. He took up Cricket in St. Joseph’s Boys’ High school where his cricketing skills were refined and developed.

He played many match-saving innings for his school team which made him more mature as a cricketer. He was also supported by his father in his ambitions and managed to grab the eyeballs at the international arena through his stylish batting display.

Touted as one of the best Test players to have represented India, Dravid amassed 13,288 runs in 164 matches at an average of 52.31 in his Test Career. He also has an impeccable ODI record where he has scored 10,889 runs from 344 ODI’s at an average of 39.16.

#5 M.S. Dhoni - DAV Jawahar Vidya Mandir (Jharkhand)

Dhoni began his sporting journey as a football player where he used to be a goalkeeper for his school team at DAV Jawahar Vidya Mandir School in Jharkhand. His football coach was impressed by his keeping skills and he was asked to try out wicket-keeping in cricket. He was applauded for his wicket-keeping skills and was selected to represent his school in many Cricket tournaments after that.

The 35-year-old had a brilliant outing on the cricket field where he became the most successful Indian captain after winning almost all of the major ICC trophies in his career.

#6 Sourav Ganguly - St. Xavier’s College (Kolkata)

Ganguly began his cricketing journey in St. Xavier College where he was supported by his brother and father who recognised his cricketing talent. He was a constant performer for his school team and played many iconic and match-winning innings for them.

He was also made the captain of the team after he scored a magical century in the Under-15 tournament against Orissa.

His game kept maturing with time and made his ODI debut against West Indies in 1992. The 44-year-old has been involved in a number of controversies related to his behaviour and attitude. Despite all of this, he remains one of the finest captains that India has ever had.

#7 Rohit Sharma – Swami Vivekananda International School (Mumbai)

Rohit Sharma’s tryst with Cricket began at the age of 8 when he decided to make his career in the game. He joined Vivekananda High School on the insistence of his camp coach, Dinesh Lad after he felt that Rohit will get better a better atmosphere to hone his skills due to better facilities in the school.

He was also awarded a 4-year scholarship as he wasn’t in a good financial position to pay the school fees.

This certainly helped Sharma in becoming a world-class cricketer who has played many breath-taking innings in international cricket. He also holds the record for being the only batsman to have scored two double centuries in ODI cricket.

#8 Virender Sehwag - Government Boys Senior Secondary School (Vikaspuri), Delhi

It was under the watchful eyes of the coach Amar Nath Sharma when Sehwag’s potential was first recognised at the G-Block Government Boys Senior Secondary School in Vikaspuri. The coach was immediately impressed by his aggressive attitude and fearless strokeplay.

The coach not only helped him refine his batting technique but also played a pivotal role in taking him to the international stage.

The 38-year-old was known to be one of the most attacking batsmen in international cricket. He also became the first batsman to score a triple-century in Test Cricket for India at a healthy strike-rate.

#9 Yuvraj Singh - DAV Public School (Chandigarh)

Cricket wasn’t Yuvraj’s first preference and he had an interest in Roller skating and Tennis as he even managed to win the National Roller Skating Championship (Under-14). It was his father, Yograj Singh who shifted his focus to Cricket and asked him to make a profession in the same.

Yuvraj, who did his schooling from DAV Public School (Chandigarh), used to practice cricket there. He was a hard hitter of the cricket ball and was famous for his powerful sixes from his childhood days.

The 35-year-old took the world by storm when he smashed Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over during the inaugural T-20 World cup in 2007.

#10 Anil Kumble - National high school (Bengaluru)

Kumble did his primary schooling from Holy Saint English School but later shifted to National High School in Basavanagudi, Bengaluru. He was always a sports enthusiast and used to play cricket on the Bengaluru streets.

He started his Cricket journey by practising in the school and was always determined to represent India at the highest level. In addition to that, he also managed his academics properly and never comprised on the same.

Kumble went on to represent India in 132 tests and 271 ODI’s where he has picked up 956 wickets and is regarded as one of India’s great bowlers.