Navjot Singh Sidhu is a former Indian cricketer, commentator, cricket analyst, politician and TV personality.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Navjot Singh Sidhu was born on 20 October 1963 (age 60 years as in 2023) in Patiala, Punjab. He did his schooling from Yadavindra Public School, Patiala and went to Mohindra College, Panjab University, Chandigarh to pursue his graduation. Like his father, he also wanted to become a cricketer. At the age of 20, he gave trials for the Indian national cricket team and got selected in the team.
Physical Appearance
Height (Approx): 6′ 2″
Hair Color: Black
Eye colour: Light brown
Family, Caste and Wife
Sidhu belongs to a Jat Sikh family. His father, late Sardar Bhagwant Singh, was a cricketer. He was also the Attorney General of Punjab. His mother’s name was Nirmal Sidhu. Sidhu had two sisters, late Neelam Mahajan and Suman Toor.
Navjot Singh Sidhu with his parents
Sidhu is married to Navjot Kaur Sidhu, a doctor and politician. The couple has a daughter, Rabia Sidhu, and a son, Karan Sidhu.
Navjot Singh Sidhu with his wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu
Navjot Singh Siddu’s wife Navjot Kaur Siddu and son Karan Siddu
Navjot Singh Sidhu with his daughter Rabia Sidhu
Navjot Singh Sidhu with his family
livelihood
Cricket
Navjot Singh Sidhu made his international debut in 1983 when he managed to score only 19 runs against West Indies in a Test cricket match. He was dropped from the team after playing only two test matches. Four years later, he made his One Day International debut in the 1987 Cricket World Cup, where he scored 73 against Australia. After this, he scored half-centuries while batting in four out of five matches. His first ODI century came against Pakistan in Sharjah in 1989. In 1993, he made his highest ODI score of 134 runs against England. After playing more than 50 Test matches and 100 ODI matches and scoring more than 7,000 runs in his 18-year career, Sidhu announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in December 1999.
Navjot Singh Sidhu is playing for India
In 2001, he began his career as a commentator for the sports program “Takeshi’s Castle”. Later he also started doing commentary for cricket. He announced his return as a commentator for the 17th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Politics
Sidhu joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2004 and contested the Indian general election from the Amritsar constituency. He won the election and held the seat until 2014. He was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in the same year before resigning from his post. After leaving the BJP, he eventually joined the Indian National Congress (INC) on 15 January 2017.
Navjot Singh Sidhu joins Congress
On July 18, 2021, Navjot Singh Sidhu was appointed the President of Punjab Congress Committee. He resigned from the post of Punjab Congress Committee President on 28 September 2021; However, the high command did not accept his resignation. On 5 November 2021, he withdrew his resignation from the post of Punjab Congress chief. In March 2022, in the Punjab Assembly elections, he lost the Amritsar East seat to Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Jeevanjyot Kaur by over 6,000 votes.
Entertainment
Apart from his cricket and political journey, Sidhu has made special appearances in various films like “ABCD 2,” “Mujhse Shaadi Karogi,” and “Mera Pind.” He was a popular contestant in Season 6 of the reality TV show “Bigg Boss”, but had to leave the show early to fulfill his political commitments. Sidhu is also popular for being a judge and regular guest on comedy shows like “Comedy Nights with Kapil” and “The Kapil Sharma Show”.
Navjot Singh Sidhu in The Kapil Sharma Show
controversies
- In 2006, Sidhu was sentenced to 3 years in prison for culpable homicide following a 1988 road rage incident. However, his sentence was suspended by the Indian Supreme Court following his appeal.
- A complaint was filed by the All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) against Sidhu in the Akal Takht for distorting the words of Gurbani.
- In 2014, Navjot was accused of violating contractual agreements with Star India by working as a commentator for Set Max’s Indian Premier League.
- On 18 August 2018, Sidhu was one of the special guests present at the swearing-in ceremony of Imran Khan at the Aiwan-e-Sadr (President’s House) in Islamabad, Pakistan. There he hugged Pakistani Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, for which he was criticized a lot in India.
Navjot Singh Sidhu hugging General Qamar Javed Bajwa
- In December 2021, he had made controversial remarks against policemen during a rally in Sultanpur Lodhi.
He could “wet the pants of a policeman.”
He praised the sitting MLA Navtej Singh Cheema. Several politicians and police personnel condemned Sidhu’s alleged remarks. Chandigarh Deputy Superintendent of Police Dilsher Singh Chandel filed a defamation case against Sidhu and said,
I have sent a defamation notice to the police for insulting them.
- On 19 May 2022, Sidhu was sentenced to one year of rigorous imprisonment in a road rage case. The incident took place in 1988 when Sidhu and his friend Rupinder Singh Sandhu had argued with Gurnam Singh, a resident of Patiala, over a parking space. According to sources, after an argument, Sidhu and his friend pulled Gurnam Singh from his car and hit him following which he died in the hospital. In 2018, the Supreme Court had ordered Sidhu to pay a fine of Rs 50,000. 1,000; However, Gurnam Singh’s family wanted a harsher punishment and had requested the Supreme Court to review its 2018 order. He was released from Patiala Central Jail almost 10 months after being sentenced to one year in jail by the Supreme Court.
record
- He became the first Indian cricketer to score 5 centuries in ODIs.
- His highest ODI score was 134 against England at Gwalior in 1993.
- He made the record of scoring 500 Test runs in a year thrice, first in the year 1993, then in 1994 and later in 1997.
- He scored 201 runs against West Indies in 1996-97 by playing on the cricket crease for 11 hours.
car collection
His car collection includes Toyota Land Cruiser, Toyota Fortuner and Mini Cooper.
Navjot Singh Sidhu with his car
property/property
Sidhu has movable assets worth around ₹59 lakh, which include gold rings worth ₹15 lakh and watches worth ₹44 lakh. They have commercial land in Chhoti Baradari, PTA Showroom 146/5 and H.No. But there is also a residential plot. 26, Yadavindra Colony, PTA.
Net Worth/Salary
Sidhu’s net worth is estimated to be ₹50 crore (as of 2016). As an MLA he gets around ₹1,10,000 (in 2016) and some other allowances.
Favorite
- Rival Cricket Team: Pakistan
- Cricket shot: hitting from above
- Cricketer: Sachin Tendulkar
Navjot Singh Sidhu with Sachin Tendulkar
fact
- His hobbies include surfing the internet and learning new things.
- Despite being a Sikh, Sidhu has immense knowledge and respect for Hinduism.
- He follows a vegetarian diet.
- Navjot scored 5 consecutive half-centuries in the 1987 World Cup.
- Navjot Singh Sidhu and his wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu are known for their honest work in politics, due to which they had problems with the Akali government of Punjab regarding their working style.
- Sidhu walked out of the 1996 England tour because his captain Mohammad Azharuddin was frequently abusing him.
- Sidhu is a strong follower of Swami Vivekananda. In 1998 he read a book by Swami Vivekananda and was inspired by his teachings and principles. During an interview, Sidhu had said that “Swami Vivekananda has changed my life.”
- When Sidhu remained absent from his Lok Sabha constituency for a long time, an NGO offered a reward of ₹2 lakh to bring him back to his parliamentary constituency.
- He is believed to have mastered the art of meditation, which he started after his father passed away to overcome difficult times.
- His family and friends fondly call him Sixer Sidhu, Sherry, Sidhu Paaji and Jonty Singh.
- He got his nickname “Sherry” because he was often called “Sher-e-Punjab” (Tiger of Punjab) due to his courageous and fearless attitude. Therefore, “Sher-e-Punjab” was shortened to “Sheri”.
- In an interview in March 2024, he revealed that he likes doing cricket commentary because it gives him personal satisfaction. He also said that he got approximately Rs. As a commentator he will get Rs 25 lakh, while as a cricketer he will get Rs. 60-70 lakhs for the entire tournament.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn