FEATURE
Follow UsIt is Vaisakhi in India. An annual festival, it marks the beginning of the Sikh New Year. Celebrated enthusiastically in North India in a carnival-like fashion, the festival is greeted with folk music and dancing all around. We take the opportunity to relive such moments on the cricket field - when cricketers decide to celebrate their success or fondest memory by exhibiting some slick, cool moves.
And there is no one better than Shikhar Dhawan to start the thread. A happy-go-lucky cricketer who refuses to take pressure in any immense form, the Indian cricketer has often been seen entertaining the crowd at the boundary ropes to the beat of their drums. Here, an overwhelmed Dhawan is celebrating India’s victory in the fifth ODI against New Zealand at the Westpac Stadium in 2019. The victory also sealed another bilateral series win for India.
Chris Gayle falls in the same category. As brutal as he may seem on the cricket ball, Gayle is one of the most fun cricketers off the field. He, in fact, is the flag-bearer which carries the fun symbol tagged to the Caribbean cricketers. And if it is the celebration of a title victory - The World T20 title in 2012 in this case - you expect the Universe Boss to lead the way with his Gangnam moves.
You know the world abides by Gayle’s celebration when one of the biggest emerging cricket stars and his IPL team-mate, Virat Kohli, performs the same moves to acknowledge India’s Champions Trophy victory in 2013.
Sunil Gavaskar was pulled in by some Indian dancers in Auckland at an event on February 14, 2014, exactly an year before the 2015 World Cup. The Little Master, aged 64 then, did not shy away from showing his dance moves.
A 264-run victory in the fifth Test at Trent Bridge sealed another Ashes victory for Australia. Shane Warne, who took seven wickets in the match, could not hide his excitement and ended up shaking a leg in the dressing room balcony.
It did not take long for Ireland to become everyone’s favorite when they made their World Cup debut in 2007. Along with their performance, they also left an impression with their joyful celebrations which often involved eye-catching dance moves from Dave Longford-Smith and Trent Johnston. Four years later, when Johnston returned to the World Cup arena in India, aged 37, he said he will display his renowned “chicken dance’’ again if he could dismiss one of the Indian openers - Virender Sehwag or Sachin Tendulkar. He caught Sehwag off his bowling and the world got to see Johnston’s famous dance moves once again.
Indian pacer, S Sreesanth’s love for the big screen is not a mystery. His siblings are a part of the TV industry and on the field, Sreesanth has often displayed his dance moves, the most prominent example being of him swinging his bat in exhilaration after hitting Andre Nel straight over his head for a six. Here, he rejoices dismissing Kevin Pietersen with some break dance.
The responsibility of entertaining the crowd is not necessarily restricted to the cricketers. Umpires, generally concerned with the job to keep proceedings under discipline, can also contribute. Billy Bowden is a prime example. When in the mood, he can be the most fun aspect about a cricket match. Here, an animated Bowden can be seen breaking the barriers while signalling a boundary during a women’s ODI between India and the hosts, New Zealand.
So, whose moves did you enjoy the most?
