6 Indian Cricket Legends who hold an Engineering Degree

It is quite often said that India is a country where you become an engineer first and then decide what you need to do with your life. Well, given the fact that the country has more than 3000 engineering colleges, it comes as no surprise. The reasons behind this obsession with engineering are many and I will leave that discussion for another day.

Now, given this background, it becomes really difficult for an average Indian to venture into something as mundane as, say sports. I mean imagine if Roger Federer or Usain Bolt would have been asked to become an engineer before entering the field of sports.

So, it usually takes extraordinary skills if one has to succeed as a sportsperson in India. After all, one cannot get everything in life and choices has to be made. But in this world of making choices & sacrifices, there are few exceptions.

There are Indians who are engineers and have still excelled at sports at the highest level. Surprising as it may sound, but it is true and it is a testimony to the dedication of these engineer turned players.

And when it comes to sports, cricket is by far the most popular game in the country. So today, being Engineer’s Day; we take a look at six Indian cricketers who are also qualified engineers.

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#1 Anil Kumble

Anil Kumble is easily the most famous engineer turned Indian cricketer. With 619 test & 337 ODI wickets, he is the highest wicket-taker for India in both the formats. He was India’s main strike bowler for most of his career and has been foxing the batsmen across the world.

But did you know that he might have been using his analytical skills to get the better of the best of batsmen? Kumble has a BE degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rashtreeya Vidyalaya College of Engineering, Bangalore. He got his degree in 1991-92 and also made his ODI debut around the same time.

Speaking about the importance of education, Kumble had once said, “"It helps to balance the good and bad. In cricket, you can't guarantee success, so education equips you to deal with it."

#2 Javagal Srinath

Arguably one of India’s best fast bowler, Javagal Srinath holds a BE degree in Instrumentation Technology from Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering, Mysuru. Although, Srinath made great strides as a cricketer and then later as a match referee; he feels that education is also important in the grooming of sportspersons.

Speaking at a function last year his message for the youngsters was - “You may feel clubbing education with cricket is a tough task in life. Going by the experience of cricketers like me, Anil Kumble and Krishnamachari Srikkanth, who have pursued engineering, it is not a difficult task to club education with cricket.

“Further, cricket is security in life too. Many may not be able to scale greater heights in cricket. In such circumstances, one may think of opting another career in life.”

#3 Ravichandran Ashwin

Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is currently India’s leading bowler across different formats. The way in which he approaches cricket has more often than not left the experts to make conclusions about his solid background and upbringing.

Well, Ashwin has a B.Tech degree in Information Technology from SSN College of Engineering, Chennai. In fact, like most of the engineers of his generation, he joined a software company post-graduation. But Ashwin does not think that engineering helped him in anyway in understanding the science and angles in cricket.

Speaking in an interview, Ashwin had said, “As for my engineering degree, my parents put me through it after I played my Under-17 cricket”. However, he acknowledges the fact that the hard yards that he had to go through in college made him realize how much he loved cricket.

#4 Krishnamachari Srikanth

Yesteryears flamboyant batsman, Krishnamchari Srikanth is another cricketer who holds an engineering degree. Srikanth is an Electrical Engineer from College of Engineering, Guindy in Chennai.

Although he used to play cricket at different levels during his engineering days, but it was only during his fourth year of college that he thought he could become a test cricketer.

While batting he had a very clear mind, an attribute which can probably be attributed to his engineering degree. He had once said, “People like me for the way I play and not my records. And I will continue playing the way I play, only better.”

#5 Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan

Although, Venkatraghvan’s statistics of 156 wickets from 57 matches may not seem very impressive; he was undoubtedly one of the best spinners to have represented India. It was his misfortune that he was born in an era where India had 3 front-line spinners apart from him.

Post-retirement Venkatraghvan took up umpiring and was a member of the ICC’s elite panel of umpires for a long time. During his years as an umpire, he was well respected by players and came to be known as a calm umpire. At one point of time, he was the only umpire in the elite panel to have played the game at all levels – first class, tests & ODIs.

Part of the golden-era of spinners in Indian cricket, S Venkatraghvan is a qualified engineer from College of Engineering, Guindy in Chennai. So, he is an all-rounder in true sense – great player, respected umpire & an engineer by qualification.

#6 EAS Prasanna

Off-spinner EAS Prasanna was probably one of the first among the engineers to make an impact on the cricket field. Prasanna holds an engineering degree from the National Institute of Engineering, Mysusru. Along with BS Chandrashekhar, S Venkatraghvan & Bishen Singh Bedi; he formed a quartet of spinners in the Indian team in the 1960s & 1970s.

As per Prasanna, he belonged to an era in which a degree was a must for everyone. Speaking about engineering & cricket; he had said, "My degree helped me in understanding biomechanics and aerodynamics. The analytical aspect of engineering helps you analyze better."