Being a part of the Indian Cricket Team has its own perks, and one of them is the money. When the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the wealthiest cricket board, it is no surprise that they treat their players accordingly. However, their income source is not limited to cricket; many cricketers in India work with brands, run private businesses, and endorsements.

Let’s take a look at India’s five richest Cricketers:

1. Sachin Tendulkar

The God of Cricket, Sachin Tendulkar, is the wealthiest cricketer not only in India but also in the world. His net worth is a striking 843 crores.

Tendulkar is a celebrated icon in the game and still holds the record of most number of centuries in ODIs and Tests. After making a debut in 1989, this Mumbai based cricket star retired in 2013, after a 24 year-long run. During the initial phase of his game, his sole source of income was match fees, but with time he started working with brands, advertisements, and endorsements. During his illustrious career, Tendulkar signed sponsorship deals with brands like Boost, Britannia, Fiat Palio, TVS, ESPN Star Sports, Sunfeast, Cannon, Airtel, Phillips, and Castrol India.

2. Mahendra Singh Dhoni

With a net worth of 814 crores, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, aka Captain Cool lands #2 on the list.

Under Dhoni’s captaincy, the men in blue attained unmatched success in the field by bringing home all three titles including ICC T20 World Cup, 50-over World Cup, and the Champions Trophy. Apart from cricket, captain cool has shown keen interest in hockey and football and is the co-owner of is also the co-owner of the franchise Ranchi Rays in Hockey India League and Chennaiyin FC franchise of the Indian Super League.

Dhoni lands among the world’s highest-paid sportspersons and has witnessed a spike of 32% in his net worth the past few years.

3. Virat Kohli

Third on the list is Virat Kohli with a net worth of 674 crores. Currently heading the Indian Cricket team, this young athlete is a prolific run-scorer, irrespective of the format.

According to BCCI’s central contract, he receives about 1.25 crore annually, as his retainer fee. Furthermore, Kohli has endorsement deals with several brands including Audi, Boost, Colgate-Palmolive, Gillette, Gionee, Herbalife, MRF, Puma, Punjab National Bank, Uber, and Vicks. A report suggests that his total earning is 14 crores annually.

4. Virender Sehwag

Fourth on the list is Virender Sehwag, aka Viru, with a whopping net worth of 293 crores. Sehwag was one of India’s most aggressive right-handed opening batsmen and a prolific right-arm off-spin bowler.

The man has endorsements with several brands like Adidas, Boost, Samsung Mobiles, Reebok, Karbonn Mobiles, and Hero Honda. Keeping the monetary measures aside, Sehwag is known for his charity work and support towards young athletes.

5. Yuvraj Singh

With a net worth of 256 crores, Yuvraj Singh lands fifth on the list. This all-round cricketer is unstoppable, which he has proven time and again to the world.

After his success in the 2011 World Cup, Singh was diagnosed with cancer, and many believed that this would be the end of his career. However, he fought the disease and came out stronger than ever.

Besides being a Grade A player, he is known for his foundation YouWeCan that supports various causes, raising awareness and helping cancer patients is one of them. The sportsman also owns a clothing line called YWC.

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Playing Cricket in our gullies, neighborhood grounds, and schools is a part of Indian culture; our childhood is half-done without those memories. However, when contemplating a career in professional Cricket, following the right techniques is necessary. With the growing competition, learning skills that will give you a chance to stand out among the hundreds of thousands of other cricketers on the pitch are the need of the hour. 

We’re going to talk about Bowling Techniques that are a must for cricketers in the initial phase of their career. But first, let’s explore the different types of bowling styles:

1. Pace Bowlers – Pace bowlers or fast bowlers use speed to their advantage against the batsmen on the field. These bowlers are further categorized based on their speed.  Under Pace Bowlers, we have Swing Bowlers, who use the ball’s seam to make it follow a curved trajectory.

Credits: Ben Williams – My Cricket Coach on Youtube

 

2. Spin Bowlers – Spin bowlers bestow rotation to the ball and use it against the batsmen. Again, we can classify them into two broad categories: wrist spin and finger spin. Wrist spin bowlers use their wrists to turn to the ball, and finger spin bowlers use their fingers. 

Credits: Sports And Outdoors on Youtube

 

3. Slow Seam Bowlers – These bowlers bowl at the speed of a spinner without turning the bowl. They usually bring variations in their bowling style and length to keep the batsmen on their toes.  

Credits: weCricket on Youtube

 

Here is a list of drills that, if done regularly, can drastically improve your game:

– Practice the Basic Action

Holding the right posture while bowling is essential as it can aid your accuracy and improve balance on the pitch. 

• Approach and Bound: Follow a normal running pattern, arms close to the body, and hands above the waist. Jump off the left foot in case you’re a right-arm bowler and vice-versa. 

• Back-Foot Landing: Keep your hips and shoulders at 90 degrees to the back-foot landing position while the body remains upright and eyes fixed on the target. 

• Front-Foot Landing: The front foot steadies and supports to strengthen the shoulder rotation. The front foot points down the pitch for both the front-on and semi-front on actions, while at landing with the side-on action, it points towards fine-leg.
• Release: Release the ball at the peak of your bowling trajectory. The front elbow drives into the front hip, and the front arm remains still at release. Ensure that the seam is vertical; keep the head still with the eyes fixed on the target.

– Target Practice

Nothing is better than the good old’ target practice. Bowling well means being able to hit the right spot with accuracy, that is, the stumps. It is a simple drill that requires you to bowl without a batsman on the pitch. You can follow this simple routine for any form of delivery:

• Aiming at the top of the stumps, aka the bails 

• Fourth-fifth stump line – aiming right outside the off stump

• Back to the deck – delivering the ball from height to extract extra bounce

• Fuller to allow for swing

• Yorker

• Bouncer
• Slower balls and variation

The ultimate goal is to keep practicing. Maintain track of your progress and work on getting better; you are your best competitor. 

– Prehab Drill – Med Balls Slam

This drill is a series of progressions –

• Warm-up: Stand shoulder-width apart, holding the ball above your head with straight arms. Twisting your body, throw the ball on either side, one after the other, and catch it as it bounces back.
• Double leg: Stand shoulder-width apart, holding your hands above your head. Make your friend throw the ball at your hand from 1m apart and try stopping it, bearing the force behind the ball. Once you’ve achieved this, bounce the ball back to your friend and repeat it. 
• Single leg (back foot): Repeat Double leg med ball slam, but only with your back foot on the ground. Don’t forget to align your foot the same as you land when you’re bowling. 
• Single leg (front foot): Repeat the previous step but now with your front foot. 

– Double Target Practice

This is a variation to the traditional target practice. Over here, the bowler places two targets instead of one. The goal is to aim at one target, then switch to the other and hit it continuously. This drill will help you variate your line and length and set the batsmen up. 

However, this practice is less useful for spinners as they rely on the flight and turn while hitting the same area consistently.

– Swing Drill

Swing drill will help you understand if you’re swinging the ball and where to start to achieve the desired result. For this drill, set up the single stump 5-6m in front of the stumps.

For outswingers, set up the stump on the fifth-sixth stump line and try to pass the right side of it. Aim at hitting or just missing the main stumps. 

For inswingers, place the stump on about the fourth-off stump and pass the left side off it. Aim at hitting off the stump. 

The best advice that anyone can give you is to keep practicing and exploring new techniques to scale up your game. Once you’re past the beginners’ phase, try creating your tactics that will take the batsmen by surprise when they least expect it. 

Credits: Cric science on Youtube

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At The Sports School, we believe in learning from the best. We have partnered with the Center for Cricketing Excellence and Chief Mentor Robin Uthappa to provide premier programs for dedicated student-athletes seeking exposure and excellence in Cricket. Our comprehensive yet intricate programs include both on-field and off-field development with specialized coaching for batting, bowling, and wicketkeeping. We provide students with insight into the latest in cricket technology, fielding drills to sharpen their reflexes, and personalized fitness & nutrition.  Along with Cricket, we offer other sports like tennis, football, basketball, and badminton. Come and learn from the best mentors who share intensive first-hand experience in coaching and playing themselves. 

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