Cricket is a game about passion and determination; a sport in which participants attend camps and practice from a young age. Athletes frequently fail to complete their schooling due to the demands of the sport and their responsibilities as a result of it.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>
Every young person will face a decision between his passion and his profession at some point in his life. While most young people follow their careers and put their passions aside, there have been a few cases where a professional's love for the game of cricket has forced them to leave their careers to pursue cricket.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>
The passion for the game of cricket was so strong that, despite working hard to obtain a professional degree, they had no second thoughts about leaving their profession to seek a cricket career.<o:p></o:p>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">Here are 5 players who chose cricket as their career over their education degree:<o:p></o:p></h3>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">1. Ravichandran Ashwin<o:p></o:p></h3>
<figure class="image" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1690063221653_Ravi-Ashwin.jpeg" alt="Ravi Ashwin" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
<figcaption data-gramm="false">Ravi Ashwin. (Pic source: RANDY BROOKS/AFP)</figcaption>
</figure>
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/ravichandran-ashwin/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ravichandran Ashwin</a> is one of the best off-spinners the game has seen. Making his India debut in 2011, the Tamil Nadu spinner has 490 wickets in 95 Tests to his name at an average of 23.69. In 116 ODIs, Ashwin took 156 wickets at an economy of 4.93, while in 65 T20Is, he got 72 wickets at an economy of 6.90. In addition to this, he was part of the Indian team that won the ICC World Cup 2011 and the Champions Trophy 2013. <o:p></o:p>
Coming to his educational qualifications, Ashwin holds a B. Tech degree in Information Technology from the highly reputed Sri Sivasubramaniya Nadar College of Engineering. He did his schooling at Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan and St. Bede's Anglo-Indian Higher Secondary School. He reportedly even worked for Cognizant Technology Solutions, before choosing cricket as his full-time career.<o:p></o:p>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">2. Anil Kumble<o:p></o:p></h3>
<figure class="image" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Anil-Kumble.jpg" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
<figcaption data-gramm="false"></figcaption>
</figure>
Legendary Indian cricketer Anil Kumble holds the record for most Test and ODI wickets by an Indian. He took 619 wickets in 132 Tests and picked 337 ODI wickets in 271 games from 1990-2008. He also captained the Indian team in Tests and one solitary ODI. Kumble was the second bowler in Test history to take all 10 wickets in a Test innings, a feat he achieved against Pakistan in Delhi in 1999.<o:p></o:p>
As far as his education is concerned, Kumble completed his Class XII from National Pre-University College Basavanagudi. Kumble later graduated from Rashtriya Vidyalaya College of Engineering (RVCE) in B.E Mechanical Engineering in 1991–92. Today, Kumble is a respected commentator and chief of the ICC's cricket committee.<o:p></o:p>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">3. Mike Brearly<o:p></o:p></h3>
<figure class="image" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1706082566028_Mike-Brearley.jpeg" alt="Mike Brearley" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
<figcaption data-gramm="false">Mike Brearley. (Photo Source: X(Twitter)</figcaption>
</figure>
Mike Brearly is known for his innovative and line-pushing captaincy for the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-teams/england/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">England</a> team in the 1980s. He played just 39 Tests and 25 ODIs but captained England in 31 of those Tests. This includes the Ashes Test series win of 1981. Brearly attended St. John's College, Cambridge, and honed his cricket skills there.<o:p></o:p>
He captained Cambridge University from 1961- 1968, first as an undergraduate in Classical and Moral Sciences and then as a postgraduate student. A bright student, Brearly, after his cricket career, has worked as a psychotherapist, psychoanalyst, motivational speaker, and part-time cricket journalist. He has also published two books.<o:p></o:p>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">4. Misbah-ul-Haq<o:p></o:p></h3>
<figure class="image" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1689425129174_Misbah-ul-Haq.jpeg" alt="Misbah ul Haq" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
<figcaption data-gramm="false">Misbah ul Haq. (Photo Source: ARIF ALI/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption>
</figure>
Former <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-teams/pakistan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pakistan</a> captain Misbah-ul-Haq had a long and coveted career. He made his Pakistan debut in 2002 and retired from the game in 2017. He played 75 Tests and 162 ODIs, scoring 5222 and 5122 runs respectively with 10 Test centuries. He is a distant cousin of former Pakistan PM Imran Khan, as he belongs to the Pashtun Niazi clan.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>
Meanwhile, Misbah was also a keen student and completed his BSc in Faisalabad, and holds a double degree in Mathematics and Physics. Misbah then completed an MBA from the University of Management and Technology in Lahore. <o:p></o:p>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">5. Javagal Srinath</h3>
<figure class="image" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1692204944433_Javagal-Srinath.jpeg" alt="Javagal Srinath" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
<figcaption data-gramm="false">Javagal Srinath. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>
</figure>
India pacer Javagal Srinath is the lone fast bowler from the country to take 300 wickets in ODIs. He also took more than 230 wickets in Tests from 1991-2003. He was part of the Indian team that played the final of the 2003 World Cup. Like all budding cricketers from South India, Srinath was also a keen student. <o:p></o:p>
He attended Marimallappa High School and has a Bachelor of Engineering degree in instrumentation from Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering (SJCE) in Mysore. He is currently an ICC match referee.<o:p></o:p>

Cricket is a game about passion and determination; a sport in which participants attend camps and practice from a young age. Athletes frequently fail to complete their schooling due to the demands of the sport and their responsibilities as a result of it.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>
Every young person will face a decision between his passion and his profession at some point in his life. While most young people follow their careers and put their passions aside, there have been a few cases where a professional's love for the game of cricket has forced them to leave their careers to pursue cricket.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>
The passion for the game of cricket was so strong that, despite working hard to obtain a professional degree, they had no second thoughts about leaving their profession to seek a cricket career.<o:p></o:p>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">Here are 5 players who chose cricket as their career over their education degree:<o:p></o:p></h3>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">1. Ravichandran Ashwin<o:p></o:p></h3>
<figure class="image"><img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1690063221653_Ravi-Ashwin.jpeg" alt="Ravi Ashwin" loading="lazy">
<figcaption data-gramm="false" wt-ignore-input="true">Ravi Ashwin. (Pic source: RANDY BROOKS/AFP)</figcaption>
</figure>
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/ravichandran-ashwin/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ravichandran Ashwin</a> is one of the best off-spinners the game has seen. Making his India debut in 2011, the Tamil Nadu spinner has 490 wickets in 95 Tests to his name at an average of 23.69. In 116 ODIs, Ashwin took 156 wickets at an economy of 4.93, while in 65 T20Is, he got 72 wickets at an economy of 6.90. In addition to this, he was part of the Indian team that won the ICC World Cup 2011 and the Champions Trophy 2013. <o:p></o:p>
Coming to his educational qualifications, Ashwin holds a B. Tech degree in Information Technology from the highly reputed Sri Sivasubramaniya Nadar College of Engineering. He did his schooling at Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan and St. Bede's Anglo-Indian Higher Secondary School. He reportedly even worked for Cognizant Technology Solutions, before choosing cricket as his full-time career.<o:p></o:p>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">2. Anil Kumble<o:p></o:p></h3>
<figure class="image"><img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Anil-Kumble.jpg" loading="lazy">
<figcaption data-gramm="false" wt-ignore-input="true"></figcaption>
</figure>
Legendary Indian cricketer Anil Kumble holds the record for most Test and ODI wickets by an Indian. He took 619 wickets in 132 Tests and picked 337 ODI wickets in 271 games from 1990-2008. He also captained the Indian team in Tests and one solitary ODI. Kumble was the second bowler in Test history to take all 10 wickets in a Test innings, a feat he achieved against Pakistan in Delhi in 1999.<o:p></o:p>
As far as his education is concerned, Kumble completed his Class XII from National Pre-University College Basavanagudi. Kumble later graduated from Rashtriya Vidyalaya College of Engineering (RVCE) in B.E Mechanical Engineering in 1991–92. Today, Kumble is a respected commentator and chief of the ICC's cricket committee.<o:p></o:p>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">3. Mike Brearly<o:p></o:p></h3>
<figure class="image"><img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1706082566028_Mike-Brearley.jpeg" alt="Mike Brearley" loading="lazy">
<figcaption data-gramm="false" wt-ignore-input="true">Mike Brearley. (Photo Source: X(Twitter)</figcaption>
</figure>
Mike Brearly is known for his innovative and line-pushing captaincy for the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-teams/england/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">England</a> team in the 1980s. He played just 39 Tests and 25 ODIs but captained England in 31 of those Tests. This includes the Ashes Test series win of 1981. Brearly attended St. John's College, Cambridge, and honed his cricket skills there.<o:p></o:p>
He captained Cambridge University from 1961- 1968, first as an undergraduate in Classical and Moral Sciences and then as a postgraduate student. A bright student, Brearly, after his cricket career, has worked as a psychotherapist, psychoanalyst, motivational speaker, and part-time cricket journalist. He has also published two books.<o:p></o:p>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">4. Misbah-ul-Haq<o:p></o:p></h3>
<figure class="image"><img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1689425129174_Misbah-ul-Haq.jpeg" alt="Misbah ul Haq" loading="lazy">
<figcaption data-gramm="false" wt-ignore-input="true">Misbah ul Haq. (Photo Source: ARIF ALI/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption>
</figure>
Former <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-teams/pakistan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pakistan</a> captain Misbah-ul-Haq had a long and coveted career. He made his Pakistan debut in 2002 and retired from the game in 2017. He played 75 Tests and 162 ODIs, scoring 5222 and 5122 runs respectively with 10 Test centuries. He is a distant cousin of former Pakistan PM Imran Khan, as he belongs to the Pashtun Niazi clan.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>
Meanwhile, Misbah was also a keen student and completed his BSc in Faisalabad, and holds a double degree in Mathematics and Physics. Misbah then completed an MBA from the University of Management and Technology in Lahore. <o:p></o:p>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">5. Javagal Srinath</h3>
<figure class="image"><img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1692204944433_Javagal-Srinath.jpeg" alt="Javagal Srinath" loading="lazy">
<figcaption data-gramm="false" wt-ignore-input="true">Javagal Srinath. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>
</figure>
India pacer Javagal Srinath is the lone fast bowler from the country to take 300 wickets in ODIs. He also took more than 230 wickets in Tests from 1991-2003. He was part of the Indian team that played the final of the 2003 World Cup. Like all budding cricketers from South India, Srinath was also a keen student. <o:p></o:p>
He attended Marimallappa High School and has a Bachelor of Engineering degree in instrumentation from Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering (SJCE) in Mysore. He is currently an ICC match referee.<o:p></o:p>

Cricket is a game about passion and determination; a sport in which participants attend camps and practice from a young age. Athletes frequently fail to complete their schooling due to the demands of

5 Players who chose cricket as career over education degree

These players despite having significant educational qualification chose cricket as their career and excelled in it.

5 Players who chose cricket as career option after educational degree

Check out the top cricket players who chose their cricket career over education.