Indian Origin Players played for England: It’s pretty common in cricket, as in many other sports, that competitors and players are born in one country and then go on to represent another country at international level. India is undoubtedly a nation that has produced a tremendous number of fantastic cricketers, some of which have turned out for England, but who are the best to travel this path?
Nasser Hussain
Nasser Hussein, 55, was born in Madras, now Chennai in India. The right-handed batsman represented England between 1989 and 2004 after moving to the country in 1975. Hussein, who succeeded Alec Stewart as captain of the Three Lions, is renowned as one of the country’s greatest-ever skippers and scored over 5,700 runs and took sixty-seven catches in Test cricket. With a player like Hussein in the ranks, England often went into matches of all types as favourites according to cricket betting online, which is probably not the case at present with the current crop of players.
Bob Woolmer
Bob Woolmer was born in Kanpur, India 1948, but the all-rounder’s cricketing exploits lay elsewhere. After making his Test debut for the Three Lions in 1975, Woolmer, nicknamed Woollie, went on to star for England until 1981, with nineteen Test caps under his belt. Interestingly, Woolmer made centuries for England, but they all came against Australia, which is some achievement. And, following his playing career, Woolmer established himself as a coach in England and beyond, where he led South Africa and Pakistan.
Vikram Solanki
Vikram Solanki, 47, hails from Udaipur, India, originally, but went on to enjoy a successful spell turning out for the Three Lions between 2000 and 2006. Solanki played limited over International cricket, making his ODI debut against South Africa with fifty appearances made in total. The batsman, who also played off-spinner, also represented England in the T20Is between 2005 and 2007, extending his international career slightly longer. Like Woolmer, Solanki turned to coaching and is no stranger to being involved in the Indian Premier League.
Colin Cowdrey
Colin Cowdrey is an England batting legend in the eyes of many. Born in Ootacamund in 1932, Cowdrey racked up 144 Test appearances for the Three Lions and was the first cricketer ever to appear in a century of Test matches. He also continues to rank highly for the centuries he made while representing his country. After his playing days came to an end, Cowdrey stepped away from the sport in one sense, as he didn’t move into the world of coaching. However, he chaired the International Cricket Council, otherwise known as the ICC, between 1989 and 1993.
Many more Indian Origin Players played for England have been born in India and have then gone on to move to and play for England as international cricketers, but the four above are certainly some of the best to do so. And one thing you can count on is that there will be many more in years to come who do the same. But whether they can achieve what the likes of Hussein, Cowdrey and others have achieved remains to be seen.