Cricket is one of the biggest and most popular games in the world. It has everything to entertain fans, including emotions, amazing performances and inhumane efforts.
There has never been a cricket player whose career has gone off without any hiccups or bruises. The best stories are only produced when the protagonist overcomes obstacles and strikes back.
We have witnessed various cricketers whose careers have been affected by injuries, over the years. The injuries have got more important due to the current hectic schedule of cricket.
Nonetheless, despite their difficulties with injuries, several athletes have succeeded in their careers and made a valiant comebacks for their teams. Today, in this article, we will discuss about some amazing cricketing comebacks:
3. Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble is hailed as, arguably, India’s greatest match-winner in Indian cricket history. He is leading wicket-taker for the nation in the longest format of the game. He has clinched 619 Test wickets, including 35 five-wicket hauls and 8 ten-wicket hauls.
However, Kumble had a shoulder injury against Zimbabwe during the tri-series in year 2000. The injury was so severe that surgery was required to repair the shoulder. He was unable to play for several months and lost his place from the team. He was replaced by Harbhajan Singh, who seized the opportunities and performed well for India during this time.
Although Harbhajan’s injury, later, gave Kumble’s career a new life. Anil Kumble picked up 24 wickets in 3 Test matches, including a stunning 12-wicket performance during his return series at the SCG.
2. Zaheer Khan
Star India pacer Zaheer Khan has been one of the biggest injury prone player in Indian history. Injury problems hampered Zaheer throughout his whole career. He always handled failures well and repeatedly made successful comebacks for his side. Zaheer used to be in charge of the Indian bowling attack during his tenure.
After each injury he made sure to return with a much stronger comeback. Zaheer sustained numerous shoulder injuries during 2008 and, eventually, lost his place in the team. Although, he rejoined the team and excelled. He contributed significantly to India’s 2011 World Cup victory.
Former India cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in history. Throughout his successful 22-year career, he has seen many ups and downs. One example was when he sustained a tennis elbow injury in 2004, which caused him to miss the majority of his matches.
Many people thought it was the end of the renowned cricketer. He recovered to play, but the injury reappeared a few months later. Sachin, on the other hand, never gave up and recovered brilliantly from his injuries.
After undergoing surgery in London, the right-handed batter made a surprising recovery against Sri Lanka in October. Since then, he has never looked back, finishing his international career with a total of 100 hundreds for India across all formats.