Cricketers on and off the field

They say cricket is not just a sport, it's a way of living life; hence Test cricket is still considered to be the format that truly defines the game till date. The way a player approaches a game for the entire day, speaks a lot about his character. However, there are certain players that tend to provide you with a completely new outlook when you have a chat with them off the field. Here are a few players who are bound to make an impact in the upcoming World Cup not only because of their skills on the field but because of their attitude off it. 

New Zealand's Kane Williamson has vastly improved ever since he scored his first century in Bangladesh years ago. Today he remains New Zealand's most sought after player. He saved them from losing a Test against Sri Lanka with a brilliant double century and continues to be in brilliant touch.On the field, Williamson seems like an innocent high-school kid who nerdily drubs you with his classical textbook drives. Off the field, Williamson is known for his slapstick remarks. When he came to Bangladesh for the T20 World Cup as a late replacement, he was asked if T20 cricket was his favourite format; he twitched his eyebrow and said that it was in his top three. That wasn't all. In Chittagong, during the group stages, a member from host broadcasters, in an attempt to gain more information on the player's statistics, asked him a vague question regarding his strengths and weaknesses. “Are you from Sri Lanka (their opponent in the next game)?” Williamson asked with an extremely straight face. 

There is little that South Africa's AB de Villiers has left to achieve. He still holds the athletic records in his school, he excelled in every sport that he took up during college, he even released a song; all this in addition to smashing a century off 31 deliveries. You'd expect him to be at least a little cocky in the press conferences; but honestly the 'Superman' barely has any room for that. After scoring a lightning half-century in the T20 World Cup, which brought his team back from the dead, De Villiers was constantly asked questions regarding his innings and his standard reply to all those questions included his teammates. Not once did he use the word 'I'. 

His colleague Dale Steyn isn't any less surprising off the field. For a player who is described as the most dangerous and aggressive bowler in the world, Steyn is completely opposite when it comes to an off-field chat. If you talk to him for five minutes, you're going to wonder if it's the same player that makes batsmen shiver at the crease. 

After defending seven runs off the last over in a T20 in Chittagong, all Steyn said in the press conference the next day was that he got lucky. When asked if he knew he could get his team home, he laughed for a few seconds and then said no! 

And then you have the ever present and aggressive Virat Kohli, who has often been described as the 'typical Delhi-boy'; always ready with a reply for anything that you say. You'd expect him to be as hyper during press conferences; surprisingly though, Kohli provides the most logical replies at the post-match press conferences. You ask him a question and rest assured you are going to get a proper answer. If there's one thing that he hates then that's being traditional and you can never expect one such answer from him. 

Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara is often described as a fox on the field who has several tricks up his sleeve. Off the field, he is one of the gentlest cricketers around. After scoring his triple century against Bangladesh early last year, Sangakkara following the post-match press conference, patiently signed over 30 autographs and clicked several photos with journalists. He could have comfortably ignored the journalists, they weren't even Sri Lankan, and walked into his ice-bath but he took that extra half-an-hour and ensured that everyone was happy.

Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan is another such player who can surprise you off the field as much as he does on it. There are times when, despite plenty of questions, he replies with just one word. And then there are emotional moments where he provides insight into his thoughts and how he looks at the game, which tends to fascinate a journalist. Like Kohli, he is rarely traditional and tends to mean every word he says on air. You learn something about him every time you talk to him.