In this post, we will know about those Indian cricketers who wear glasses. These players were not only for India but they also showed their talent at the international level. Some great players used glasses on the ground while playing for India, the most prominent names of which are Anil Kumble and Virender Sehwag.
Some of these players could not do much for India at the international level but they are successful in India’s domestic level in their cricket journey. they are Narendra Hirwani, Ayushman Gaikwad, and Dilip Doshi.
9 Indian cricketers who wear glasses
1. Virender Sehwag
India’s former opener Virender Sehwag is one of the Indian cricketers who wear glasses in his career. Virender Sehwag is one of the greatest opener players in India. he is an attacking player. Virender Sehwag intimidated bowlers with his aggressive batting, striking boundaries all over the ground.
He is the first Indian cricketer to score a triple century in Test cricket. Sehwag is the only Indian player and 3rd in the world to score 2 triple centuries in Test matches. Also, he is the second cricketer to score double century in the ODI format. The record of scoring the fastest triple century in any format in cricket history is still in the name of Virender Sehwag.
He made more centuries than half-centuries in Test cricket. He completed his triple century in Multan, in 2004 by hitting six, he was too brave to do that. In World Cup 2011, he smashed 4 of the first balls in 5 matches. (Only cricketer to do so in World Cup). He believes in hitting the boundary on the first ball! Rather than settling down by defending, he believes in thrashing the confidence of the bowler by hitting the boundary of the first ball.
He has scored 8,586 Test runs and 23 centuries all at a strike rate of 82.23. Besides Tests, he has also shown his class in ODIs and was a key part of India in the World Cup 2011. He retired from all forms of cricket in 2015.
2. Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble is one of the Indian cricketers who wear glasses in his career. Kumble is one of the best spinners in the world. He emerged as the match-winner for India with his unorthodox bowling. Kumble didn’t turn the ball much but was consistent and accurate in his length. He also stands out as the successful captain which is an unknown fact to many.
Kumble represented India in 132 Test matches and picked 619 wickets. In ODIs, he has latched 337 wickets in 271 matches. He set a record of taking 10 wickets in one inning against Pakistan in a match.
Kumble is one of the greatest bowlers in the history of cricket and holds many records in both Tests and ODIs. He is the third-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, with 619 wickets in 132 matches. Kumble is the only bowler to take all ten wickets in an innings in Test cricket, which he did against Pakistan in Delhi in 19991.
AnilKumble is the second-fastest bowler to reach 600 Test wickets, which he achieved in his 124th match. He is the first Indian spinner to take 300 wickets in ODIs, and the tenth-highest wicket-taker overall, with 337 wickets in 271 matches. Kumble has the best bowling figures by an Indian in ODIs, with 6 for 12 against West Indies in Kolkata.
Kumble is the only Indian bowler to take more than 50 wickets in a calendar year in both Tests and ODIs, which he did in 2004 and 1996 respectively. He is also a handy batsman, who scored his maiden Test century against England at The Oval in 2007, at the age of 36 years and 296 days.
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3. Rahul Dravid
Rahul is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He wore glasses during his early days of cricket but later switched to contact lenses for better vision and comfort. He scored over 24,000 runs in international cricket and is currently the head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team.
Rahul Dravid is a former Indian cricketer and the current head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team. Rahul Dravid is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time and one of the most respected figures in the cricket world. Dravid is also known for wearing glasses or contact lenses, both off and on the field. He scored over 24,000 runs in international cricket.
Rahul Dravid is the 7th most capped player in Test history, with 164 matches. Dravid is the 4th highest run-scorer in Test history, with 13288 runs. He is the only player to score a century in each innings of a Test match three times. Rahul Dravid is the first player to score two unbeaten fifties in a Test match twice. He is one of the few players to score a hundred and a duck in the same Test match twice. Rahul Dravid is the second-highest boundary-hitter in Test history, with 1654 fours.
Dravid is one of the few players to carry his bat through a completed innings in Test history, scoring 146* against England at The Oval in 2011. He is the third fastest player to reach 9000 runs in Test history, in 176 innings. Dravid holds the record for the most catches by a non-wicketkeeper in Test history, with 210. Rahul Dravid is one of the few players to achieve the double of 5,000 runs and 50 fielding dismissals in Test history. He is the 9th highest run-scorer in ODI history, with 10889 runs. He holds the record for the most byes conceded by a wicketkeeper in an ODI innings, with 16 against Pakistan in Karachi in 2006.
Dravid is the third-highest run-scorer in a calendar year in ODI history, with 1761 runs in 2004. He is the fifth-highest century-maker in a calendar year in ODI history, with 6 hundreds in 1999. Rahul Dravid is the first player to be dismissed for 99 (and 199, 299 etc.) in ODI history, against Sri Lanka in Margao in 1999. He holds the record for the most consecutive innings without a duck in ODI history, with 120 from 1998 to 2004.
4. Narendra Hirwani
Wearing glasses and hand bands, he gained instant fame with his Test debut. He is best known for his remarkable debut in Test cricket when he took 16 wickets against West Indies in 1988 at Madras. This is still a world record for the most wickets in a match on debut. He also holds the record for the youngest player to take ten wickets in a match in Test cricket, at the age of 19 years and 85 days. He continued to be the leading wicket-taker in the next series against New Zealand at home.
Narendra Hirwani is a former Indian cricketer who was a leg spin bowler. e played 17 Tests and 18 ODIs for India, taking 66 and 23 wickets respectively. He was a consistent performer in domestic cricket, taking 732 wickets in 167 matches for Madhya Pradesh and Bengal. He retired from cricket in 2006 and became a national selector in 2008.
5. Dilip Doshi
Dilip Doshi is a former Indian cricketer who was a left-arm spinner, he also wears glasses on the field. He played for India in 33 Tests and 15 ODIs from 1979 to 1983. He is one of only four Test bowlers who made their debut after the age of 30 and still took more than 100 wickets, the others being Clarrie Grimmett, Saeed Ajmal and Ryan. Harris. He was known for his immaculate control of flight and turn and was effective on even the most placid pitches.
His a first-class career with Saurashtra, but played most of his Ranji Trophy cricket with Bengal. He also had a successful stint in English county cricket, playing for Nottinghamshire, Warwickshire and Hertfordshire. He took 898 wickets in 238 first-class matches at an average of 26.58, with 43 five-wicket hauls and six ten-wicket matches.
Doshi made his Test debut against Australia at Chennai in 1979 and took six wickets in the first innings. He was India’s best bowler in the series, taking 27 wickets in six Tests. He also performed well against England, Pakistan and West Indies, taking six five-wicket hauls in his Test career. His best bowling figures were 6 for 102 against Australia at Adelaide in 1981. He also holds the record for the most Test innings without ever batting above number 11, with 38 innings.
He was also a handy bowler in ODIs, taking 22 wickets in 15 matches at an average of 23.81 and an economy rate of 3.96. His best figures were 4 for 30 against New Zealand at Brisbane in 1980. He was a part of the Indian team that won the Asia Cup in 1984.
Doshi retired from cricket in 1986 and became a businessman. He also served as a national selector for India in 2008. He is the father of Nayan Doshi, who also played as a left-arm spinner for Saurashtra and Surrey.
6. Anshuman Gaekwad
Anshuman Gaekwad is one of the specs-wearing cricketers of the India national cricket team. He is a former Indian cricketer and a two-time coach of the Indian cricket team. He is known for his dedication towards cricket and his ability to face the fast bowlers with courage and patience.
Here is a brief summary of his life and career:
Anshuman Gaekwad was born on September 23, 1952, in Mumbai, Maharashtra. His father, Datta Gaekwad, also played Test cricket for India. He made his Test debut against the West Indies at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on December 27, 1974. Anshuman Gaekwad scored 28 runs in the first innings and 12 runs in the second innings.
Gaekwad played in 40 Test matches and 15 One Day Internationals for India from 1974 to 1987. He scored 1985 runs in Tests at an average of 30.07 with two centuries and 10 half-centuries. He scored 269 runs in ODIs at an average of 20.69 with one half-century. His highest Test score was 201 not out against Pakistan at Jalandhar in 1982-83. Anshuman Gaekwad batted for 671 minutes, which was then the slowest double-century in first-class cricket.
Gaekwad was known for his defensive mindset against pace bowlers, especially the West Indies’ fearsome quartet. Anshuman Gaekwad earned the nickname “The Great Wall” for his resilience and concentration. He was injured by a bouncer from Michael Holding in the Jamaica Test of 1975-76, which punctured his eardrum and required surgery. He showed great courage by scoring 81 runs in the second inning despite the pain and bleeding.
Anshuman Gaekwad retired from first-class cricket in 1991-92 after scoring a century in his last match. He later became a selector and the national coach of India twice, from 1997 to 1999 and from 2000 to 2002. In June 2018, he was awarded the C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest honour conferred by BCCI on a former player.
7. Pankaj Ray
Pankaj Roy was one of the former Indian cricketers who wore glasses and a former national cricket team captain. He was a right-handed opening batsman who is best known for establishing the world record opening partnership of 413 runs, together with Vinoo Mankad, against New Zealand at Chennai in 1956. The record stood until 2008.
Pankaj Ray played in 43 Test matches and 15 First-class matches for India from 1951 to 1960. He scored 2442 runs in Tests at an average of 32.56 with five centuries and nine half-centuries. He scored 11868 runs in First-class cricket at an average of 42.38 with 33 centuries and 50 half-centuries.
Pankaj Ray was also a useful medium-pace bowler who took one Test wicket and 21 First-class wickets. Ray captained India in one Test match in England in 1959, which India lost by an innings and 173 runs. He was honoured with the Padma Shri award in 1962 and the C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016 (posthumously). His son Pranab Roy and his nephew Ambar Roy also played Test cricket for India.
8. Cheteshwar Pujara
Pujara is one of the best Test batsmen in the world. He wears glasses off the field but uses contact lenses while playing. He has scored over 6,000 runs in Test cricket and has been instrumental in many memorable victories for India. Cheteshwar Pujara is known for his solid technique and patience at the crease.
Pujara is the only player to score a century in each innings of a Test match three times. He is one of the few players to score a hundred and a duck in the same Test match twice. Pujara is the second-highest boundary-hitter in Test history, with 1654 fours. He is one of the few players to carry his bat through a completed innings in Test history, scoring 146* against England at The Oval in 2011.
Cheteshwar Pujara is the third fastest player to reach 9000 runs in Test history, in 176 innings. Cheteshwar Pujara holds the record for the most catches by a non-wicketkeeper in Test history, with 210. He is one of the few players to achieve the double of 5,000 runs and 50 fielding dismissals in Test history.
9. Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin is one of the Indian cricketers who wears glasses but uses contact lenses while playing. He has taken over 400 wickets in Test cricket and has also scored five centuries. Ashwin is a versatile bowler who can bowl various types of spin, such as off-spin, carrom ball, leg-spin, and doosra.
Ashwin is the fastest bowler to reach 250, 300, and 350 Test wickets, taking only 45, 54, and 66 matches respectively. He has the second-most player-of-the-series awards (10) in Test cricket, behind only Sir Garfield Sobers who has 11. He has the most wickets against a single opponent in international cricket for an Indian, taking 123 wickets against Australia in all formats.
Ashwin has the most five-wicket hauls 34 and ten-wicket hauls (8) among Indian spinners in Test cricket. He is the only Indian bowler to take four wickets in an innings in T20I cricket twice, achieving the feat against Sri Lanka in 2016 and Australia in 2023
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