Superstition in Cricket

Superstition has proved a great equalizer. It is prevalent amongst everybody, from the local 'baniya', the famous film director, to the young fellow who delivers your newspaper. The Coca-Cola ads have managed to capture the spirit of a cricket crazy nation... the fact that a cricket lover would go to any extent to ensure that his team wins a match. If that involves Aishwarya Rai opening bottle upon bottle of a fizzy soft drink... so be it. 
We all have something that we believe propels our team to victory. An old T-shirt, a pair of worn-out shoes, a special position, a specific prayer... the list is as varied and vast as the number of fans. The fans are not the only ones who have a set of convictions. 

Cricketers have some strong beliefs that they follow while playing. Here are some superstitions that some players believe in:

Sachin Tendulkar wears his left pad first.

Sourav Ganguly carries a photo of his Guru in his pocket when he is playing.

Steve Waugh carries a red handkerchief in his left pocket, which was given to him by his late grandfather.

Phil Simmons has a cross attached to his sweater.

Mahela Jayawardhena keeps kissing his bat, while batting, when he is going fine.

Jonty Rhodes keeps everything neat and tidy about him when he's padded up and waiting to bat. When his teammates roll little lumps of paper and drop them beside his chair, Jonty studiously picks them up. 

During the 10 wicket haul taken by Anil Kumble, Sachin used to give Kumble's sweater and cap to the umpire before he was to bowl an over, and every time Sachin did it Kumble got a wicket in that very over.

Roshan Mahanama keeps touching his bat to his chin when he is batting.

Craig Evans always puts on his left pad ahead of his right.

When Grant Flower and Mark Dekker go out to open the innings together, one always says to the other, "I hope you get hit on the head," to which the stock reply is, "Same to you."

Mohammad Azharruddin used to wear a 'tabeez' around his neck whenever he came out to play.

Jimmy Amarnath always carried a red handkerchief while fielding.

Sir Geoffrey Boycott would always want to be alone in the changing room thinking things over before he went out to bat, even if his mom knocked, he would ask her to go away.

Imran Khan wore a tiger T-shirt in the finals of '92 World Cup as a matter of superstition.

Sunil Gavaskar always used to ground his bat first before bringing his right foot into position, while taking guard.

If you know of any other superstitions that cricketers hold dear, do send it in while I go hunt for my embroidered pink handkerchief. we will need it for the decider Test against the Aussies.