New DelhiOn hearing the name Navjot Singh Sidhu, the first thing that comes to someone’s mind is clapping, while someone else thinks of a lion. Sidhu got this recognition from Kapil Sharma’s show. By becoming a judge in Kapil’s show, he made such a name for himself that people started reading his sher-o-shayari and poems in every house. Former cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu, who once played cricket for the Indian team, is today a personality who has tried his luck in every field from TV to politics.
Sacrificed dreams for father’s sake
Politician, commentator, former cricketer and reality show judge Navjot Singh Sidhu actually wanted to join the Indian Army. He wanted to serve the country by joining the Indian Army, but for the sake of his father he sacrificed his dreams.
Navjot Singh Sidhu wanted to join the army
Navjot Singh Sidhu says, ‘I wanted to join the army and I had passed the IMA (Indian Military Academy) examination in my first attempt. But when I was about to leave, my father stopped me and said, ‘Don’t go, I won’t be able to live without you’. So I sacrificed the career I saw for myself and fulfilled my father’s dream and made a career in cricket.
Decided to become a cricketer on father’s advice
After being selected in IMA, when he decided to sacrifice his career and become a cricketer, the path was not easy for Navjot Singh Sidhu. He had to face millions of difficulties before joining the Indian team.
Celebrated the selection in the team
In a conversation with Hindustan Times, he says that when he was selected in the Indian team for the first time, his father celebrated with the entire town. His father had given a party to the entire city.
He tells that he had celebrated so much that he had postponed the whole of Patiala, but then he was suddenly dropped from the team. So many things were written about him in the newspapers.
Navjot says that he remembers an incident when he was dropped from the team and in a paper it was written about him, ‘Navjot Singh Sidhu: The Strokeless Wonder’. His father was deeply hurt by this comment and this was the first time in his life that he had seen his father crying.
Instead of breaking down in tears with his father, he took it as inspiration and vowed to return to the Indian team. After this article, Navjot Singh Sidhu started working hard day and night and trying to make his comeback in the Indian team.
Navjot Singh Sidhu shared his struggle
It took four years and during this time he followed a disciplined routine. He says, ‘I used to wake up at 3 in the morning, roll the pitch and water the pitch myself, practice for hours and hit 125 sixes every day. My hands were bleeding. I made a special kind of glove which would absorb the blood and then it would become hard. Four years later, I was selected in the World Cup team and hit five sixes in my debut match against Australia. In the next match against New Zealand, I hit six sixes, overall 11 sixes in two matches and scored five consecutive half-centuries. That world record stood till last year when Virat Kohli broke it in the World Cup. So, nothing is easy in life. It’s all about blood, sweat, hard work and tears.
Sidhu had to leave the show
Navjot Singh Sidhu was a part of Kapil Sharma’s comedy show since 2013. He was the judge of Kapil’s show till the year 2019, but he left the show midway due to some controversies. He had said that due to political reasons he had maintained a distance on which he did not want to talk much.
Apart from this, there was a discussion at that time that initially there was a bouquet of artists in Kapil Sharma’s show which got scattered amid controversies. In such a situation, Sidhu did not want to be a part of the show amidst fights. There were rumors on Pulwama attack that there was a controversy regarding some of his statements due to which he had to be removed from the show.
After retiring from the cricket field, Navjot Singh Sidhu turned to politics and TV. He is active in cricket commentary, reality show judge and politics.