Indian sportspersons are known for their flamboyant lifestyle off the field but many people are not aware that these same people also care about their pets like no one else can. There have been instances where we have seen these athletes competing at the highest level for the nation but their contributions and activities off the field are not so much publicised, especially with the lesser known players.
These athletes take the field and are burdened with the expectations of a billion people. This puts a huge amount of pressure on the athletes to perform for their nation, and if they fail, they are criticised by the media for their off-the-field activities as well. However, there is a certain companion who is always waiting at home for these athletes to return. This companion may not know what kind of pressure their ‘friends’ go through and may also not know what these players achieve or fail to achieve.
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But what they do know is that these athletes treat them like their own family. These companions, to whom many people refer to as ‘dogs’, are the most precious of friends that anyone on this planet can have. We have many athletes who regularly post pictures with their most beloved pets and we have showcased a few of them for you:
#1 Sachin Tendulkar
If this man is on any list, he has to be on the top otherwise that list is not worthy of being written. Sachin Tendulkar is a legend in India, the great man is considered as the ‘God’ of cricket by his followers and fans. Throughout the master blaster’s career, it was never known to his fans that the Indian batsman is a dog lover. But when Tendulkar retired from One-day Internationals in December 2012, there were pictures posted by the legend himself which proved how much the icon loves his pets.
The former cricketer was seen holidaying at the Queen of Hills in Mussoorie and had uploaded a picture of himself along with his dogs on his Facebook page. The picture is apparently taken at 7 AM in the morning when the temperature outside was only three degrees.
The picture was shared over 13,000 times and has been liked by more than 200,000 people on the social networking site. However, the picture proved to us that the legendary cricketer is an avid lover of dogs and turns to them whenever he feels like taking his mind off of the sport. We always used to wonder how he managed to become the greatest batsman ever carrying the burden of a billion people, now we know that it were his dogs who had a hand in keeping him patient and motivated.
#2 Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Mahendra Singh Dhoni has proved to be the most successful Indian captain of all time. But captaining India is a stressful job, even if you are called ‘Captain Cool’.
Therefore, the wicket-keeper keeps himself at peace as he is a die-hard animal lover. The cricketer is known to have two dogs named Zarah and Sam at his Ranchi home. But there have also been reports which have suggested that Dhoni has come forward and adopted street dogs. Dhoni is known to always keep his calm on the field in big encounters, and this could be due to the fact that Dhoni shares his stress with “man's best friend!”
Dhoni’s wife Sakshi is also fond of dogs as she had adopted two female and one male street dogs. Dhoni’s mother has also confessed about Dhoni’s love for a parrot. She said, “After the parrot died, he (Dhoni) had wept and wept.”
#3 Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli has been the poster boy of Indian cricket for many years now. The 27-year old has been smashing records all over the world with his scintillating batting performances in all the three formats of the game. However, there is one aspect of his life that is not as much talked about as the rest are.
The Indian Test team captain has been in the news for his love affair with actress Anushka Sharma. His love for cars is also very well publicised but what is not known is that the best batsman of the current generation loves his pets. Once, when the player was asked about his pets, he responded, “I am equally fond of all my pets; they all are so special to me in their own ways. It was great fun to be with all of them.”
Virat has been known to have been keeping a pet since his childhood. The stylish batsman uploads pictures with his pets regularly on social media. The Indian captain currently has a Beagle named Bruno along with a golden Labrador Retriever which has been named Rico.
#4 Abhinav Bindra
Abhinav Bindra brought a new dimension to the sport of shooting in India when he won the elusive Olympic Gold Medal in the 10m air rifle event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The shooter had become the first Indian to win an individual gold medal for the nation at the Games. Ever since then, the shooting contingent from India has been expected to win medals at the grandest event in the world.
The shooter had once written about his love for dogs in his guest column in Hindustan Times’ HT City, where the shooter had spoken about his bonding with man’s best friend.
It has been known that Bindra has two pet dogs; a Saint Bernard whom he calls ‘Buddy’ and a second is a Beagle whom he calls ‘Chhotu’. There is no denying the fact that having a pet can provide peace and happiness to these athletes who are under consistent pressure during their playing careers.
#5 Ashwini Ponnappa
Ashwini Ponnappa is known for her badminton skills on the court but not many people know that the shuttler is an avid lover of dogs. The shuttler represents the country in the women’s doubles when she partners Jwala Gutta and even though the duo did not have a good outing in the Rio Olympics, they have brought glory to the nation in the past.
Ashwini has regularly been posting pictures on social media with her pets. The shuttler had posted one such pic where she captioned it, “I really love dogs that I can cuddle up to, and Ace fits that description perfectly!!!”
Ponnappa has posted numerous pictures with dogs which shows us exactly how much the athlete loves her pets. She had also posted a picture of herself along with one more of her dogs on Facebook and commented, 'Hey do you know we can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals...aww i love dogs.’
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