One of the most common profiles in India is the General Engineer Male, also called the GEM. This class of people belong to one of the most ignored sections of the society. While it is very easy to find this GEMs doing MS abroad, or doing an MBA in one of the top universities in India, or working on a coding job, it is very rare to spot them in diverse fields like sports. Here we take a look at 5 General Male Engineers who became successful cricketers
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Anil Kumble:
Source: sportzpick.com
Born: October 17, 1970, Bangalore, Karnataka
Current age: 45 years 277 days
Major teams: India, Asia XI, Karnataka, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Surrey
Batting style: Right-hand bat
Bowling style: Legbreak googly
Anil Kumble is the current head coach of India. He has also captained the side for a few years. He has taken 619 test wickets in his career and is the third highest wicket taker of all time. He is nicknamed ‘Jumbo’ for his ability to bowl quick deliveries as a spinner and for having big feet, as observed by his teammates. He completed his Bachelor of Engineering from Rashtreeya Vidyalaya College of Engineering (RVCE) in mechanical engineering in 1991-92. Kumble once said about his education that “It (Education) helps to balance the good and bad. In cricket you can’t guarantee success, so education equips you to deal with it.”
Javagal Srinath:
Born: August 31, 1969, Mysore, Karnataka
Current age: 46 years 324 days
Major teams: India, Gloucestershire, Karnataka, Leicestershire
Batting style: Right-hand bat
Bowling style: Right-arm fast-medium
Javagal Srinath is currently a renowned ICC match referee. He was one of finest pacemen of India and is second only to Kapil Dev in the total number of international test wickets taken (236) by an Indian paceman. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Instrumentation Technology from Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering (SJCE), Mysuru. Once when enquired about the impact of education on his career, Srinath said “It is the biggest gain in my life, because it gave me a lot of confidence. I played cricket without fear or putting excessive pressure on myself because I always knew if I failed as a cricketer, I had a degree to fall back on. That probably made my cricketing journey more enjoyable.”
Ravichandran Ashwin
Source: wallpaperbasti.com
Born: September 17, 1986, Madras (now Chennai), Tamil Nadu
Current age: 29 years 307 days
Major teams: India, Chennai Super Kings, Rising Pune Supergiants, Tamil Nadu
Playing role: Bowling allrounder
Batting style: Right-hand bat
Bowling style: Right-arm offbreak
Ravichandran Ashwin is the current leader of Indian spin bowling department. As one of the latest generation spinners, who depends more on his street smart ability and variations, he has the ability to bowl at any stage and situation of the game. He came to prominence through the Indian Premier League, where he opened the bowling for Chennai Super Kings. He is a handy lower order batsman as well and has scored a couple of international centuries. He did his Bachelor of Engineering from SSN College of Engineering in Information Technology and worked for Cognizant Technology Solutions. Once when questioned about his technical aspect of bowling, Ashwin said “I started going through coaching manuals because that is how I studied for my engineering – if I didn’t understand, I would ask people.” And he has gotten a lot of help from his coaches indeed.
Krishnamachari Srikkanth
Born: December 21, 1959, Madras (now Chennai)
Current age: 56 years 212 days
Major teams: India, Tamil Nadu
Batting style: Right-hand bat
Bowling style: Right-arm medium, Right-arm offbreak
One of the most exciting players India has ever produced, Kris Srikkanth was the first person to hit a half century and pick up five wickets in a One Day International. Kris was a great entertainer and crowd puller. His hand-eye coordination was top notch when he was in form and he could demolish any bowler without fear. He was the top scorer for India in the 1983 world cup finals. Apart from winning the world cup himself in 1983, he was also the chairman of Indian cricket team selection board, when India lifted the world cup in 2011. He did his electrical engineering from one of the prestigious colleges of India, College of Engineering, Anna University Guindy in Chennai.
Srinivasaraghavan Venkatraghavan
Born April 21, 1945, Madras (now Chennai)
Current age 71 years 90 days
Major teams India, Derbyshire, Madras, Tamil Nadu
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm offbreak
Srinivas Venkataraghavan, tall, dark, and handsome, was one of the most versatile cricketers the world has ever seen. He was nicknamed ‘Venkat’ and was part of the celebrated spin quartet. He is the second-highest wicket-taker in Ranji Trophy. He was also a useful tail end batsman, a sharp close-in fielder and a shrewd captain. After his retirement from playing career, he went on to become a national selector, a much-celebrated umpire and a match-referee. Venkat, did his Engineering from the esteemed Madras Institute of Technology, Anna University. He is a connoisseur of literature and music.
