From Dhoni To Kohli: Indian Cricketers Who Didn¡¯t Finish Their Studies

You will be surprised to learn that not all your favourite cricketers made it to college or even finish high school. Here's a list of cricketers who chose their career over education.

Sachin Tendulkar

BCCL

The ¡®Master Blaster¡¯ also known as 'The God of Cricket', Sachin Tendulkar who claimed almost every record that is there to be taken in international cricket started playing for the country at the age of 16 but did you know that he couldn't complete his schooling. He gave his HSC exam in 1991 after making his India debut but due to his love for cricket, he failed his board exams at that time. In December 2012, Tendulkar announced his retirement from ODI cricket and then finally retired from all forms of cricket after playing his 200th Test match, against the West Indies in Mumbai¡¯s Wankhede Stadium on November 16, 2013. He has gone on to become a global cricket legend, and there¡¯s not even a single Indian who will miss the opportunity to watch him bat in matches.

MS Dhoni

AFP

MS Dhoni is one the greatest captains of all time but it was his ability to finish games that made him a modern-day legend. Dhoni got admitted for B.Com, under sports quota at St Xavier's College, Ranchi in 2010 but didn't show up for his exam as at that time he was busy with his cricket and playing for an Indian cricket team. He then failed to clear his first semester exams for Bachelor of Business Management and Secretarial Practice. In 2013, he was refused his graduation degree by the college.

Virat Kohli

AFP

From the U-19 World Cup-winning team captain to one of the most successful batsmen and captains in cricket history, Virat Kohli has studied at Vishal Bharti Public School and Savior Convent School, Delhi. Since childhood, Kohli wanted to become a great cricketer like Sachin Tendulkar and for this, he sweated a lot. This was the reason that he was able to study only till the 12th standard. However, Kohli has time now and he can at least do his graduation from a distance.

Shikhar Dhawan

AFP

Shikhar Dhawan also knowns as Gabbar, who hails from Delhi, also studied till 12th and he never went to college. Shikhar studied at Delhi's well-known St. Marks Senior Secondary School, Paschim Vihar. Shikhar had shined a lot in the IPL before joining the Indian team as an opener. Obviously, due to the pressure of the game, Shikhar also never got a chance to go to college.

Hardik Pandya

AFP

One of the strongest and best all-rounders Hardik Pandya couldn't even complete his schooling and make it through Class 9 examinations only as he quit studying after his school started demanding fees which according to Hardik, they had agreed to waive off earlier. It is quite hard to believe Pandya comes from a humble background. The cricketer himself had revealed his family had financial issues during the early days of his cricketing career.

"A school that claimed to have great interest in cricket asked me to join it to improve its cricket team. It is a big school and we couldn't afford it, but the school said they will take care of my fees and all. They said they will ensure I pass the exams and I just needed to keep performing for the Under-16 school team. And we lost in the first round of the school's tournament. All of a sudden they changed their stand. They started demanding fees," Pandya told the "Sportstar Live".

He added: "It was a premium school and we just couldn't afford the fees. They said they cannot promote me from Standard IX, so we waited for a year. And the next year, it was the same story, so I quit school. Anyway, I didn't have much interest in studies, plus I was bad as well. I would have liked to mention the name of the school, but I won't. No free publicity to anyone!"

Zaheer Khan

AFP

Zaheer Khan played a key role in helping India lift the 2011 World Cup and was a good student during his school days. After passing 12th with good marks, Zaheer got admission for engineering at Pravara College. But his love for cricket drew him in and he left engineering behind and got busy trying his hand at cricket. Zaheer Khan played cricket for the Indian team for more than a decade and during this time he was the star bowler of Team India. Zaheer retired from International cricket after picking up 311 wickets in 92 Tests and 282 wickets in 200 ODIs.

Rahul Dravid

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The former Indian captain, Rahul Dravid, one of the best cricketers India has ever produced who played 164 test matches 344 ODIs and one T20 for India in a career that spanned over 16 years earned himself the nickname 'the wall' for his consistency and dependability. For 16 years he has been the silent saviour and despite playing in Sachin Tendulkar's shadow for his entire career, he has still left a legacy to be proud of. The best gentleman in the history of cricket was quite good in study after completing his schooling and graduating from St. Joseph's College he started pursuing his MBA but during the time he got the opportunity to play for India and he chose the game over studies and the rest, as they say, is history.

Kapil Dev

AFP

Former Indian Cricket team captain, Kapil Dev also dropped the idea to complete his graduation and focus on his cricket. As the result, he became the first Indian skipper to bring home the World Cup trophy in 1983 and fulfilled the dreams of millions of Indians. Also, his inclusion in the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame goes to show how college dropouts shouldn¡¯t be judged for that decision. Especially when they put their country on the world map.

Yuvraj Singh

AFP

Yuvraj Singh represented India in 40 Tests, 304 ODIs and 58 T20Is between 2000 and 2017 and scored international 11,778 runs and also has 148 wickets to his name. On numerous occasions, Singh has put the team on his back and led the Men in Blue to victory in some of the biggest matches and tournaments in the history of the sport in this country. The Player of the tournament in the 2011 World Cup has just studied till high school at the DAV Public School in Chandigarh.

VVS Laxman

AFP

VVS Laxman is a name that needs no introduction. In his 16-year long career along with Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly, the man has played some breathtaking knocks for India, saved us in tight situations and proved himself to be the unsung hero. Hailing from a family of doctors, it seemed pretty much guaranteed that Laxman would go into medicine. But at 17, on the verge of a medical seat, he made a decision that would change his life completely. The former right-handed batsman opted to go for cricket instead of pursuing his quest to be a doctor. The rest as they say is history. He would go on to play some gem knocks and be involved in some great moments for Team India. He now holds an honorary doctorate degree from Teri University, New Delhi.