Cricket is a part of someone’s life. There is a certain time period that each player has and once done, there are various paths that a player chooses. Over the years, we have seen a lot of former cricketers take different routes in their respective careers and lives post cricket.
One of the most common paths is stints in the commentary box. A lot of former cricketers join the media and the television industry. They try to provide insights on the game through commentary. Another role taken up is coaching. Quite a few former players try to associate themselves with some or the other coaching role. Even if it is not full time, they link themselves with various T20 leagues.
Another option is certainly politics. Not a lot of cricketers take that route but there have been a few popular faces who have jumped into politics in their second innings of life. Thus, let’s look back at five such cricketers who turned to politics as a career option post cricket.
1. Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir is the latest cricketer to have turned to politics. He is one of the most successful Indian cricketers. He played a crucial role in India’s World T20 win in 2007 and World Cup win in 2011. The Delhi opener announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in December last year. However, it was back in 2016 when Gambhir last played for India in international cricket. It was in a Test match against England in Rajkot.
Gambhir has joined the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) and will contest from one of the seven polls in Delhi. He said that it’s the vision of the current Prime Minister Narendra Modi that influenced him to turn to politics and join BJP.
