5 Indian cricketers who deserve a biopic

In a nation where cricket is nothing less than religion, the lives of its heroes tend to have the sort of drama, glory and determination which make for classic cinema. 

While biopics such as M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story and 83 have tugged at the imagination, there are still plenty of good stories waiting to jump from the pitch to the screen. Here are five Indian cricketers whose on-field and off-field journeys are ready to be retold through films.

1. Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid's batting statistics of more than 13,000 runs in Tests at an average above 52 are the tales of myths. A shy young boy from Bengaluru, he overcame early scepticism about his technique and temperament. But he built an iron will, underpinning many of India's finest Test triumphs overseas. 

Adding to flavours, he even coached Team India to a T20 World Cup Victory in 2024, after 17 long years of waiting. A biopic documenting his metamorphosis from soft‑spoken debutant to "Wall" of Indian cricket (and eventual adored coach) would provide a poignant sketch of determination, humility and unshowy heroism.

2. Anil Kumble

With 619 Test wickets, Anil Kumble is India's leading wicket-taker and one of just two bowlers to take all ten wickets in an innings. Early in his own career, critics dismissed him as nothing more than accurate but unremarkable, but Kumble countered by working out an entire repertoire of pace‑offers and flat trajectories that rendered him all but unplayable. 

His comeback, following a career‑threatening knee injury and inspired spell as India's captain, leading the team through a phase of transition, provides fertile emotional ground.

3. Vinoo Mankad

Much before the age of money‑spinners and multi‑format stars, Vinoo Mankad was India's first all‑rounder. In 1952, he was the first Indian to make a double-century and a five‑for in a single Test—a feat that remained unparalleled for decades. 

Off the pitch, however, he is most recalled for "Mankading" Bill Brown in 1947. Bowling him out at the non-striker end before delivery, igniting sportsmanship controversies that continue to rage today. His path from colonial Bombay to cricketing achievements, against the backdrop of India's freedom struggle, would be worth a grand historical saga.

4. Sunil Gavaskar 

Sunil Gavaskar, when he made his debut in 1971, redefined India's batting script at lightning speed. In 125 Tests, he made 10,122 runs at 51.12, with 34 centuries, becoming the first man ever to pass ten thousand runs and 30 Test hundreds. 

Apart from stats, his period was one of politics and intellectually disregarded Indian touring parties. But he performed consistently overseas, making a then-record 774 runs in his first series against the West Indies. A movie might capture Gavaskar's silent struggle to bear crushing national expectation, his trailblazing status as India's batting benchmark, and the price an introverted warrior pays for bearing the hopes of a nation.

5. Yuvraj Singh 

There are few Indian sporting moments more etched in the memory than the six sixes by Yuvraj Singh off Stuart Broad in the 2007 T20 World Cup. Still, even as he drove India to their first T20 championship, a much more serious adversary lurked beneath, a mediastinal seminoma (an uncommon germ‑cell tumour) detected while India were playing in the 2011 World Cup. 

Through chemotherapy and overwhelming doubt, Yuvraj came back to finish as Player of the Tournament, making 362 runs and taking 15 wickets, the first all-rounder to achieve both in a single World Cup. His very public struggle with cancer, his determination in adversity and his advocacy for patients after recovery provide a story of hope and courage that goes beyond sport.

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