5 Indian cricketers who had the biggest influence on the public

3. Mahendra Singh Dhoni (2004-present)

MS Dhoni

He was the man who proved that you can be totally unorthodox and still reach dizzying heights in sport.

Dhoni’s tenure as the captain of the Indian cricket team was the brightest in the history of Indian sport. His leadership style is still being discussed as a model in leading management institutions across the country.

Dhoni’s fan following cuts across geographical barriers. People from Chennai celebrate the success of their ‘Thala’ with the same fervor as the people of Ranchi do.

2. Virat Kohli (2008-present)

Today’s India is an India of startups. The people of the country are now willing to take risks, and are always waiting for challenges to overcome.

No cricketer epitomizes this youthful vigour more than Virat Kohli does. Kohli is a man who relishes challenges, a man who has an “in your face” attitude, a man who will not take a step back when confronted with obstacles.

Kohli’s success with the bat on the cricket field has made him a youth icon as he symbolizes a young and rising India.

1. Sachin Tendulkar (1989-2013)

Sachin Tendulkar is a name that is almost synonymous with the game of cricket itself. No cricketer has influenced the minds of the Indian public for such a long period of time as Tendulkar did in his illustrious career.

Consider this: when Tendulkar made his debut in 1989, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were not even in their teens, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were unheard of names in football, Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps were just three-year-old toddlers. And when Tendulkar retired from the game almost a quarter of a century later, Federer and Nadal had emerged as two of the greatest tennis players of all time, Messi and Ronaldo were competing with each other for the Ballon d'Or, Bolt had emerged as the undisputed sprint king and Phelps had become the most decorated Olympian of all time.

An entire generation grew up watching the halo of Tendulkar. And that generation reacted to every single thing that the Mumbaikar said or did.