Chetan Sharma is a former Indian cricketer, commentator, chief selector, and politician. He is the first cricketer to take a hattrick in a World Cup.
Wiki/Biography
He was born on Monday, 3 January 1966 (age 57 years; as of 2023) in Ludhiana, Punjab, India. His zodiac sign is Capricorn. He studied at DAV School Sector-7, Chandigarh and completed 10th standard in 1981. He completed a Bachelor of Arts from Kurukshetra University in 1986. He trained under Desh Prem Azad, mentor of former Indian captain Kapil Dev, Venkatesh Iyer, and Shardul Thakur and a Dronacharya Award winner.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 10″
Weight (approx.): 65 kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
He was born into a Hindu family.
Parents & Siblings
His father’s name is M. L. Sharma.
Chetan Sharma with his family
Wife & Children
His wife’s name is Ramani Sharma. He has a daughter and a son named Rachit Sharma.
Chetan Sharma (backside left) with his wife, Ramani, and his son, Rachit Sharma
Chetan Sharma with his wife, Ramani (left) and daughter (centre)
Address
He used to live in Chandigarh at #3523, Sector 35-D. Chandigarh while growing up.
Autograph
Career
Cricket
Domestic
He played his debut match for Punjab in first-class cricket at the age of 17. He later played from Haryana and moved to Bengal in 1993 and played for them till his retirement.
International
Test
He made his test debut on 17 October 1984 against Pakistan at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, Pakistan and took 3 wickets for 94 runs. In December 1984, he took 4 wickets for 38 runs in the first innings of the test match against England at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. In September 1985, he took his first five-wicket haul by claiming 5 wickets for 118 runs in the first innings of the test match against Sri Lanka at P Sara Oval, Colombo. In June 1986, he took 5 wickets for 64 runs in the first innings of the test match against England at Lord’s, London. In July 1986, he took his first 10 wicket haul by taking 10 wickets in a test by claiming 4 wickets for 130 runs in the first innings and 6 wickets for 58 runs in the second innings of the test against England at Edgbaston, Birmingham. In November 1987, he took 5 wickets for 55 runs in the first innings of the test against West Indies at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi. He played his last test match on 28 April 1989 against West Indies at Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica.
ODI
He played his debut ODI match on 7 December 1983 against West Indies at Keenan Stadium, Jamshedpur, India and took 3 wickets for 60 runs. On 8 April 1984, he took 3 wickets for 22 runs against Sri Lanka at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah, Pakistan. On 25 August 1985, he took 3 wickets for runs against Sri Lanka at Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo, Sri Lanka. On 18 January 1986, he took 3 wickets for 26 runs against New Zealand at WACA Ground, Perth, Australia. On 21 January 1986, he took 3 wickets for 61 runs against Australia at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, Australia. On 26 January 1986, he took 3 wickets for 60 runs against Australia at Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, Australia. On 13 April 1986, he took 3 wickets for 35 runs against Sri Lanka at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE). On 18 April 1986, he took 3 wickets for 51 runs against Pakistan at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE). He was hit for a six on the last ball by Pakistani batsman Javed Miandad which sent him into depression. On 24 May 1986, he took 3 wickets for 25 runs against England at Kennington Oval, London, England. On 27 November 1986, he took 3 wickets for 40 runs against Sri Lanka at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE). On 23 October 1989, he took 3 wickets for 46 runs against West Indies at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, India. He played his last ODI match on 11 November 1994 against West Indies at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur, India.
1987 World Cup
He played in the 1987 World Cup and took a hattrick in the match against New Zealand by taking 3 wickets for 51 runs and dismissed Ken Rutherford, Ian Smith, and Ewen Chatfield. He took 6 wickets in the tournament.
Retirement
He retired from cricket in 1996.
Commentator
After his retirement, he became a cricket commentator.
Chairman of Selection Committee
In December 2020, he became the Chairman of the selection committee of the Indian cricket team. He was removed from the position in November 2022 after India’s exit from the 2022 T20 World Cup; however, he was later reappointed as the Chief Selector in January 2023.
Politics
He joined Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on 8 February 2009 and contested elections from the Faridabad Loksabha seat. He did not win and came third with 18% votes. He quit BSP on 15 September 2009 and joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). BJP appointed him as the party’s sports convener.
Controversies
Sting by Zee News
In February 2023, a big controversy erupted after the Indian channel Zee News conducted a sting operation on him. In the video, he was seen claiming that former Indian captain Virat Kohli believed himself to be bigger than Indian cricket. He also alleged that Virat had animosity with former BCCI Chairman and Indian captain, Sourav Ganguly and purposely leaked the news of his sacking from the Indian captain’s post to the media to defame Ganguly. He further said that many Indian players are not fully fit and take injections which could not be detected in a dope test to become fully fit for international cricket. He said that Rohit Sharma is in his last playing days, and Hardik Pandya will take over as the next captain of India in all formats. He revealed details about his conversations with Indian coach Rahul Dravid and other players about the fitness of Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah.
Car Collection
As per his nomination filed during the 2009 Loksabha elections, he had a Santro car, a Honda City car, and a Honda CRV car.
Assets & Properties
Movable Assets
- Bank Deposits: Rs. 2,46,282
- Motor Vehicles: Rs. 23,50,000
- Other Assets: Rs 1,10,73,860
Immovable Assets
- Non-Agricultural Land: Rs. 1,50,000
- Commercial Buildings: Rs. 35,00,000
- Residential Buildings: Rs. 90,00,000
Note: The given estimates of movable and immovable assets are according to the year 2009. It excludes the assets owned by his wife and dependents (minor).
Net Worth
His net worth in the year 2009 was estimated to be Rs. 2.5 crores. It excludes the net worth of his wife and dependents (minors).
Favourites
- Food: Tandoori Chicken
- Actress: Teena Muneem
- Male Singer: Mohammed Rafi
- Female Singer: Asha Bhosle
- Movie: Humraaz
- TV Show: Phool Khile Hai Gulshan Gulshan
- Soft drink: Limca
Facts/Trivia
- Apart from cricket, he likes to play handball and table tennis.
- According to Chetan, the most attacking batsman was West Indies batsman Vivian Richards, and the most difficult batsman to dismiss was Sunil Gavaskar.