Hardik Pandya (with Bentley). (Photo Source : Twitter)
The love between dogs and humans has always been special as furry friends are known for their unprecedented loyalty and friendship to their owners. In India, a lot of renowned personalities such as Top Bollywood celebrities, business personalities, and ministers of India have shown their love for dogs by making them a part of their families.
Like illustrious personalities from different fields, cricketers are not an exception as they too have displayed their unwavering support and care for canines several times. On social media sites such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, avid cricket fans can find a great many posts of cricketers showering love on their pet dogs.
Here are five Indian cricketers and their adorable pets:
5. Hardik Pandya
Hardik and Dog. (Photo Source: Twitter)
Hardik Pandya kicked off his international career in January 2016 and since then, he has become an integral part of the Indian cricket team due to his sensational all-round skills. In the upcoming years, he could become the captain of the Indian cricket team in white-ball formats.
Along with his professional life, his personal life is also an open book. One can find a lot of pictures and videos of the cricketer spending quality time with his family. The star India cricketer also owns Lhasa apso dogs whom he named Aston and Bentley. During the COVID-19 lockdown, the India all-rounder spent a lot of time with his pets.
In October 2018, Pandya celebrated his birthday with a bang, gifting himself, Bentley. Welcoming the newest member of his family, Pandya shared a picture on Twitter that won the hearts of his supporters and dog lovers and his fans.
4. Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma with Dog. (Photo Source: Twitter)
India captain Rohit Sharma is known for his superb batting style and incredible captaincy. The right-handed batter is a huge name in international cricket and the Indian Premier League (IPL). In his 16-year international career, the veteran has registered a lot of batting records to his name.
Talking about his devotion to his furry friend, one can watch his video from the first ODI match between India and Sri Lanka at Barsapara Stadium, when he dedicated his half-century to his deceased pet dog, Magic, who had passed away a few days before the match against the island nation.
Rohit used to adore his dog a lot as one can go through his social media profiles and find the opening batter’s images with Magic, where he could be seen showing unconditional love and support to his pet. Rohit, who is a PETA supporter, has always advocated animal rights on several occasions.
3. Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli (with Bruno) (Photo Source: Twitter)
In the cricketing circle, Virat Kohli is a huge brand after 15 years of his international career. His fans often display love for their cricketing icon by calling him GOAT (greatest of all time) due to his unprecedented cricketing records and phenomenal passion for the sport.
Apart from loving cricket, Kohli also takes care of his family which consists of his wife, daughter, mother, brother, and sister-in-law. Earlier, he had an endearing family member whose name was Bruno, a dog (Beagle’s fortune). In May 2020, during the first COVID-19 lockdown, Kohli’s pet passed away after being with him for 11 years.
Taking to Twitter, the India batting stalwart announced the heartbreaking news of his dog’s demise. Bruno was a workout partner of Kohli as he was often seen accompanying the legendary India batter at the gym.
2. Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar with Dog. (Photo Source : Twitter)
Sachin Tendulkar served the Indian cricket team for 24 years and during his tenure, he became the highest run-scorer in One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and Tests. In November 2013, he bid adieu to international cricket, and after 10 years of his retirement, no batter has succeeded in shattering his colossal batting records in both formats of the sport.
Nowadays, he often remains in the headlines for his social media posts related to his personal life. The former India batter often posts his pictures with his two pet dogs Spikey and Maxy, who are of labrador and Saint Bernard breeds. For his cute moments with his dogs, Tendulkar received a lot of appreciation from his fans in the form of likes and comments.
In July 2021, Tendulkar welcomed Spikey into his family at his farmhouse. The former batter said that the little pup was found by the kids of his farmhouse’s caretakers in a nearby area. He also added that the puppy got separated from his mother and after learning about that, he decided to adopt the canine and make him his family member.
1. MS Dhoni
MS Dhoni with Dog. (Photo Source: Twitter)
MS Dhoni provided his services to the Indian cricket team for 15 years (2005-2020). During his remarkable international career, he uplifted the standard of the Indian cricket team with his batting and captaincy skills. In 2007 and 2011, India won T20 World Cup and ODI World Cup respectively under his magnificent leadership.
Dhoni supporters, who follow him since the initial days of his international career, have witnessed Dhoni’s love for bikes, however, his ardent fans are also well aware of the fact that along with bikes, the former India wicketkeeper batter is also fond of canines. Currently, the 2011 World Cup-winning captain owns four pooches named Sam (Belgian Malinois), Lilly and Gabbar (white huskies), and Zoya (Dutch shepherd).
Interestingly enough, Dhoni revealed during an interview about his love for dogs. Mahi said that no matter what happens on the field or if he wins or loses a series, his dogs always greet and treat him lovingly. He believes their virtue of having dogs is very relaxing than anything else in the world.