Sachin Tendulkar’s BMW M5 to Virat Kohli’s Audi R8: Indian cricket captains & their cars

While hockey may be our national sport, cricket is nearly a religion for the faithful followers of India’s Men in Blue. The men in charge of the Indian national cricket team has always been under the biggest media spotlight, as the paps try and get all the details about the leader of the team ‘for the cricket-crazy people’. In this post, we take a look at a few of the men who’ve led India and their rather brilliant rides.

Sunil Gavaskar

The original little Master, Sunil Gavaskar, Sunny was the first batsman ever to cross the magical 10,000 run barrier in Test cricket. Best known for standing up to and flaying West Indies pace attacks without the protection of a helmet, Gavaskar was often the only thing standing between India and defeat during his playing days. In 2014, he was put in charge of the BCCI as its president by the Supreme Court to oversee the 7th season of the Indian Premier League.

Gavaskar’s car of choice for his daily commute is an E 30 BMW 5 series, which was one of the BMWs designed under the eye of designer Chris Bangle.

Kapil Dev

Kapil Dev was the man in charge when India first lifted the World Cup in 1983. The memory of Dev running to catch was a moment that not only changed India’s outlook towards cricket, but it also bought about a change in the way the world viewed India in the realm of cricket. In the same World Cup, Kapil smashed 175 of 138 balls against Zimbabwe, to help India to an almost unthinkable win after his side were reduced to 78 for seven. Kapil Dev also held the world record for the most number of wickets taken by a bowler in tests at 434, which was broken by Courtney Walsh in 2000.

Kapil Dev’s ride of choice is Porsche’s only four-door sedan currently on sale – the Panamera. Kapil owns a first-gen Porsche Panamera. Prices for the current Panamera start at Rs 1.16 crore.

Mohammed Azharuddin

Mohammed Azharuddin was one of India’s most popular and successful players who ended was also among the best when it came to leading the national side. His elegant strokes and upturned collar captured the imagination of a nation. However, the adoration turned into disbelief and anger when he implicated in the infamous match-fixing scandal of 2000 and banned for life from Cricket. It was only at age 49, with his playing days long behind him was Azhar able to get his ban overturned by the Andhra Pradesh High Court. The former Indian captain was also a member of Parliament from 2009 to 2014.

Azhar has been seen in three different cars over the year. These include the BMW 5-Series sedan and 650i coupe along with a Honda CR-V.

Sachin Tendulkar

If cricket is a religion, then Sachin Tendulkar was its god. For 24 years, he carried the expectations of over a billion people whenever he entered the playing field. Sachin, considered by many to be the best player after Bradman became the first batsman to score 100 centuries overall in a career that spanned 200 tests and 463 One Day Internationals. Sachin is also the record holder for the most number of runs in a career for both ODIs and Tests. He was also the first batsman to score a double hundred in ODIs. In 2011, Sachin, who once captained India himself, achieved his lifelong dream, winning a World Cup for India, when Dhoni smashed a six into the Wankhede Stadium.

The God of cricket is now a member of Parliament and has quite a fleet of cars (mostly BMWs thanks to him being a brand ambassador for the German marque). His collection includes a Nissan GT-R, multiple BMWs including an i8 supercar and the M5, along with a Mercedes C63 AMG and a Porsche Boxster sports car among others.

Saurav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly, Dada, the king of the off-side, was the man in charge when India actually started believing again that they could win matches both at home and abroad. Best known for antagonizing and beating Steve Waugh’s Aussies in an amazing 2-1 series victory in 2001, Ganguly also lead India to finals of the 2003 World Cup in South Africa,

Sourav Ganguly grew up in a massive home in Kolkata alongside his extended family. The palatial home has a fleet of around 32 cars in the garages, though Dada himself is mostly seen in four rides – Mercedes CLK, C-Class Convertible, Ford Endeavour and a Honda City ZX.

Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid captained India after Greg Chappell had a falling out with Ganguly. Known for his nigh-on unbreakable defence, the man known as the Wall by commentators and sometimes ‘Jammy’ by fans of his ads was a prized scalp for those who bowled at him. His daily rides, the BMW 5 series and Audi Q5 are both vehicles known for the amount of space they offer inside.

Anil Kumble

The only Indian and the second man in the world to take all 10 wickets in a game of Test cricket, Anil Kumble is still one of the most respected figures in Indian cricket today. Jumbo, as he was popularly known captain the side and after retiring returned to coach the team. Jumbo’s fleet of cars includes an older-gen Ford Endeavour SUV and a Mercedes E-Class.

Virender Sehwag

The devastating Nawab of Najafgarh terrorized bowlers across the world in the 2000s and early 2010s. Sehwag was part of India’s 2011 World Cup winning squad and is the only batsman other than Chris Gayle to score a triple century in Tests and a double century in ODIs. Now retired, Sehwag is now best known for his rather trollish twitter feed, which he uses to playfully mock teammates and rivals.

Sehwag has a good collection of cars, though the one he is most often spotted in is a Bentley Continental Fly Spur, the four-door version of the Continental GT.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

MS Dhoni is the man who captained India to its second-ever World Cup victory in 2011. Leading from the front after a lacklustre tournament, Dhoni promoted himself up the order in the final and tore apart the Sri Lankan bowling attack before finishing off the match with a massive six launched into the stands at the Wankhede Stadium. Dhoni is a massive petrolhead and while his collection of bikes is what he is better known for, Captain Cool is also the proud owner of an H2 Hummer, a fully custom Mahindra Scorpio, GMC Sierra, Land Rover Freelander 2, Audi Q7 and the Mitsubishi Pajero SFX. Dhoni also has a 599 GTO supercar. His collection also includes humbler vehicles like the Toyota Corolla and the Maruti SX4.

Virat Kohli

The current man in charge of the Men in Blue is Virat Kolhi. Considered by most to be the best player to be currently playing the game, King Kolhi as he is known puts bowlers to the sword almost everytime he goes out to bat. Kolhi car of choice is an Audi R8 V10, is a special LMX edition car and is powered by a screaming mad V10 engine from Lamborghini. Kohli’s garage also includes the Audi A6, Q7 and the Toyota Fortuner.