Cricket has a close allegiance to superstitions. Cricketers are often seen believing in lucky charms and similar things which they perceive would contribute to their performance. Sometimes it’s about the lucky jersey number or at times it’s about the lucky bat.
Lucky bat theory could be best contemplated with Gambhir’s example. The bat he used in the 2007 T20 world cup was gifted to him by Sehwag and he considered it as a lucky companion since he performed really well in the World cup and his knock in the finals saw India winning the cup.
So, the bottom line is that no matter how irrational the abstract of superstitions may be but cricketers often invest faith in these supernatural influences for they hold luck in very high regards alongside their talents.
The superstition frenzy is much larger in India than anywhere else as India is the home to a plethora of superstitions and home to a large population that believes in them.
Here is what your favorite cricketers follow in terms of superstitions or their lucky charm as they call it to complement their immaculate skill sets. Excited much?
Virat Kohli
Kohli has always been honest about being superstitious and this honesty makes him adorable. The stalwart batsman uses black wrist pads as his lucky charm. He also wears a black thread on his body (Nazar na lag jaye kahin!) and besides this since 2012 he has also been wearing a Kara on his right arm. Phew! That is too much of a supernatural creed.
M.S Dhoni
Mahi is known to be one of the most superstitious players in the game. M.S always wears his number 7 jersey and never wants to get rid of it. He has been one of the most successful captains winning two world cups for India and we should really thank his superstitions for that.
Rahul Dravid
Even ‘The Wall’ is not deprived of the craze for superstitions (Well, why not, he is an Indian at the end of the day) All along his illustrious career he believed that wearing the right thigh pad first was lucky for him. The sources also suggest that he never used to try a new bat before a series. Jammy has been one of the best team players India has ever had, for him, it was always the team first.
Sachin Tendulkar
Master Blaster too believed in supernatural influences and we are not surprised at all. While Dravid held wearing the right thigh pad first as auspicious, Little Master believed in wearing the left thigh pad first as a matter of luck. He also never changed his bat even when it was broken or damaged. He always got his bat repaired and thanks to his bat that he has the most centuries!
Sourav Ganguly
No, removing the T-shirt and spinning it at Lord’s does not qualify as being a superstition! Dada wore many rings in his fingers to ascertain his success and he also made sure that while playing he always had the picture of his Guru in his pockets.
Yuvraj Singh
For Yuvi Paji it’s always jersey number 12. Yuvraj was born on 12 December which means the 12th day of the 12th month. Hence, his lucky charm is none other than his Number 12 Jersey.
Virender Sehwag
While for others there are lucky Jersey numbers for success, for the Nawab of Nazafgarh it’s about playing without a jersey number. His mother consulted a numerologist following which Sehwag started to play without a jersey number. He earlier donned Jersey Number 44.
Zaheer Khan
For Zak his lucky charm is the yellow cloth. Hence he was always seen wearing a yellow hen kerchief in every crucial game.
Hardik Pandaya
The new hot shot of the team too has his share of superstitious indulgence. His fortunes changed when he started to play for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL and hence he considers Maharashtra as his lucky charm. Not that he can carry Maharashtra everywhere but still he dearly loves Maharashtra.
Anil Kumble
Jumbo holds the record of taking 10 wickets in an innings. For him his lucky charm was Sachin. He got a wicket every time he handed his cap and sweater to Sachin Tendulkar. That’s a sweet gesture, isn’t it?
Ravichandran Ashwin
Ashwin who weaves traps around batsmen too is a member of the supernatural league. He always carries a bag with him and considers it his lucky charm. The entire team, in fact, considers Ashwin’s bag as a lucky charm for whenever he carries it the team ends up winning.
