“Godfather of Cricket” refers to a player significantly contributing to the game’s development. Sachin Tendulkar is hailed as the “God of Cricket”, and Virat Kohli is considered as the “King of Cricket”—the title “Godfather of Cricket” with individuals with different personalities since the inception of the game.
The term “Godfather of Cricket” has been associated with several cricket individuals, including Kerry Packer, Sunil Gavaskar, and MS Dhoni, who could be considered the title holders. Let us dig in and find out who has the potential to be the “Godfather of Cricket.”
Kerry Packer
Australian media tycoon Kerry Packer can be termed as Godfather of Cricket. In the late 1970s, Kerry Packer played a crucial role in reforming the game of cricket. The late media tycoon was regarded as one of Australia’s most influential media proprietors of the 20th century. He was well known around the world for founding World Series Cricket. It drastically changed the nature of cricket by increasing the players’ salaries.
It triggered the most bitter bidding war to help popularize the game globally. He was a key figure behind introducing day-night cricket, coloured jerseys, and limited-overs cricket. These brought young cricket fans to follow the game. Packer also played a massive role in saving the game from financial turmoil. For these reasons, Kerry Packer can be considered the Godfather of Cricket.
William Gilbert Grace
William Gilbert Grace, a former English cricketer, is also one of the most significant candidates for the title of Godfather of Cricket. Regarded as one of the best players in England, William Grace played a vital role in the game’s history. In his long career, Grace scored more than 54,000 first-class runs over 44 seasons from 1865 to 1908. In his time, the English cricket captain earned Gloucestershire, the Gentlemen, Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), United South of England Eleven (USEE), and many other teams. He will always be remembered for his technical innovations and enormous influence.
Don Bradman
Considered as the most excellent batter of all time, former Australian cricketer Sir Donald George Bradman can also claim to be called Godfather of Cricket. In a 20-year playing career, Don Bradman amassed 6,996 runs in 52 Test matches at an average of a staggering 99.94, often considered by some to be one of the most outstanding achievements by any sportsperson. His legendary cricket career made him one of Australia’s acclaimed personalities and arguably the country’s “first celebrity”.
Sunil Gavaskar
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar was named Godfather of Indian Cricket by the legendary West Indies cricketer Viv Richards. After making his Test debut against West Indies in 1971, Sunil Gavaskar became widely appreciated for his technique against fast bowling. He dominated a four-pronged West Indies’ fast bowling attack, scoring at an impressive average of 65.45. He became the first batter in Test cricket to score over 10,000 runs. Gavaskar concluded his brilliant career with 10,122 runs against 125 Tests to become one of the most revered opening batters ever.
MS Dhoni
In modern-day cricket, former India captain MS Dhoni has been addressed as the ‘Godfather of Team India’. After the retirement of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, and Anil Kumble, MS Dhoni mentored the Indian cricket team to new heights in the cricket world. Under his fantastic leadership, Team India won the T20 World Cup in 2007. Four years later, India ended its 28-year dry spell by winning the ICC ODI World Cup for the second time in 2011. The Men in Blue later won the Champions Trophy in England and Wales in 2013.
Dhoni later vacated Test captaincy at the right time to hand the mantle to Virat Kohli. Although he remained a part of the limited-overs format, he relinquished the ODI and T20 captaincy for a smooth transition. After relinquishing captaincy, even Dhoni helped Kohli enhance his leadership skills. After retirement, Dhoni was appointed India’s mentor for the T20 World Cup 2021.
