Cricket is a sport that’s celebrated all over India. It’s played everywhere, from the biggest stadiums to the smallest gullies in the most remote villages.

And whether or not you’re a fan of the sport, every <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ipl-2020-match-20-mi-vs-rr-mumbai-indians-player-ratings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Indian </a>possesses some basic knowledge of the game. Nearly every Indian knows the rules, a few famous players, and the different kinds of matches that we’ve all come to love and enjoy.

We have heard a lot of interesting stories about cricketers and their life. Some are pretty interesting while few leave us in shock. It&#8217;s impossible to live in India and not get affected by the love-wave of cricket. Here we bring you some interesting and unknown facts about the cricketers and the game.

Here are some unknown facts about five cricketers:

1. Why Mohammed Shami&#8217;s back has marks?

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-451566" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Mohammed-Shami.jpg" alt="Mohammed Shami" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-451566" class="wp-caption-text">Mohammed Shami. (Photo Source: Instagram)</figcaption>

Mohammed Shami has been in good form in IPL 2020 so far. The long-lay off from the game due to the coronavirus pandemic seems to have little effect on the India pacer as he has hit the ground running in the ongoing competition in the UAE.

Shami, nonetheless, recently left the fans confused with his latest <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/5-viral-instagram-stories-posted-by-wags-of-indian-cricketers-in-ipl-2020/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Instagram </a>post. On Friday evening last week, he took to Instagram to post a picture of him enjoying in the swimming pool. The eagle-eyed fans were quick to spot big spots on his back and bombarded the comment section with their queries.

The reason behind Shami’s spots is cupping therapy. The India international had undergone cupping days ago. During the therapy, special cups are placed on an individual’s skin for a few minutes.

The cups create suction and eventually make the muscles feel relaxed. The process is primarily used for reducing pain and increasing blood flow of the tissues.

2. Why Suranga Lakmal can&#8217;t do an MRI scan?

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-262181" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Sauranga-Lakmal.jpg" alt="Sauranga Lakmal Sri Lanka" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-262181" class="wp-caption-text">Sauranga Lakmal. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

Suranga Lakmal, a right-arm fast bowler from Sri Lanka came into prominence at an early age. He plays in all formats of the game and is also a former Test cricket captain. He has played 61 Tests, 85 ODIs and 11 T20Is for his country picking up 151, 107 and 8 wickets respectively in each of the 3 formats.

Lakmal was one of the cricketers present in the squad during their 2009 tour to Pakistan in which the Sri Lankan team bus was attacked by terrorists. Players such as Thilina Samaraweera, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/sri-lanka-spinner-ajantha-mendis-announces-retirement-from-all-forms-of-cricket/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ajantha Mendis</a> and Suranga Lakmal himself were wounded during that incident.

Lakmal still hasn’t been able to remove one of the splinters (a small, thin, sharp piece of wood, glass, or similar material broken off from a larger piece) from the bullets, fearing that it would take out a substantial amount of game time from his career and would bring his cricketing career to a halt.

Why I have not operated is that I am told after the operation, it takes a long time to recover. I will miss out on quite a bit of cricket. The other problem is that I can’t get an MRI scan done. If I do an MRI on my left leg, it comes blank,” Lakmal told Cricbuzz.

“I am not too sure whether I will ever remove it. Once I am done with cricket, I will consult the surgeons and see. If they feel that it is not harmful to my body, I will let it be,” added Lakmal. It&#8217;s happened way back in 2009 but the scares continue to haunt the Sri Lankan speedster till today.

3. Why Virat Kohli has 9 tattoos on his body?

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-227821" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Virat-Kohli-tattoo.jpg" alt="Virat Kohli tattoo" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-227821" class="wp-caption-text">Virat Kohli tattoo. (Photo Source: Instagram)</figcaption>

After leading the Indian youth side to the Under 19 World Cup title in 2008, Virat Kohli has come a long way since the last decade. He is not only the captain of the Indian cricket team but is also the best batsmen across all three formats in the world right now.

During his journey to success, Virat Kohli got his body inked nine times. Each and every tattoo on Virat&#8217;s body has a story to tell and signifies a turning point in the life of the dashing <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/rishabh-pant-should-take-over-reins-from-ms-dhoni-in-the-indian-team-ashish-nehra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Indian </a>batsman.

Kohli often talked about the support he got from his parents since his childhood. Although he lost his father at the age of eighteen, he never really got over the love he had for his father. Indian captain got the names of his parents, Saroj and Prem inked to express the emotion till the last day of his life. Kohli’s left forearm has a tattoo of Lord Shiva meditating with Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar in the background.

Just beside the tattoo of Lord Shiva, there is a tattoo of a monastery. It is important for the most important man in Indian cricket to keep his cool from inside. The tattoo symbolises peace of mind that helps him to remain calm and think wisely. Kohli’s list of tattoos has his ODI and Test cap number. In 2008, Kohli became 175th Indian cricketer to play for India in ODIs and within the next three years, he became the 269th Indian Test player.

The tribal art represents aggression which is certainly an important trait of Kohli. The &#8216;tribal art&#8217; is the first tattoo he got before painting his whole body with different art. The right arm of Kohli has a tattoo of a Scorpio. This was done because Kohli is a scorpion by birth and it is his sun sign. The right-hander’s birthday is on November 5 1988.

Virat also has a tattoo of a Japanese <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/england-samurai-warrior-jason-roy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Samurai </a>that is based on the Bushido code of the Samurai The tattoo of a big celestial eye. In Kohli’s own words, he calls it&#8211; God’s eye. The 9th tattoo is the Om symbol that is the universal sound. This helps the Indian legend to understand the essence of life. This keeps him grounded because the human being is nothing but a dust particle in the universe.

4. Why Ben Stokes has a lion tattoo on his back?

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-453231" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ben-Stokes-Tattoo.jpg" alt="Ben Stokes' Tattoo" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-453231" class="wp-caption-text">Ben Stokes&#8217; Tattoo. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

England cricketer Ben Stokes is no stranger to tattoos and adding to his already glamorous list of inks, the 29-year-old all-rounder has gotten a giant portrait of &#8216;Lion’s pride&#8217; on his back, which is a lion, a lioness and two cubs Styled by artist Mel Blyth. The huge tattoo took 28 hours to complete and symbolises his family&#8211; wife Claire Ratcliffe, children Layton and Libby and Stokes himself.

Talking about his ink, Stokes captioned his image and said, “Tattoos aren’t everybody’s taste. But they are mine. All my tattoos mean something to me personally and are very special to me. My most recent one represents me, my amazing wife @clarey11 and my 2 wonderful kids.”

“We will always be together now when I’m away touring. 28 hours of pain and it’s finally finished. @mel_elixirtattoos thank you so much for your amazing work I’m over the moon with it. #family” Stokes stated in the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/actress-prachi-singh-fuels-dating-rumours-with-prithvi-shaw-with-her-latest-instagram-story/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Instagram </a>post.

5. What&#8217;s written on Jos Buttler’s bat?

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-453227" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Jos-Buttlers-bat.jpg" alt="Jos Buttler's bat" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-453227" class="wp-caption-text">Jos Buttler&#8217;s bat. (Photo Source: Getty Images and Twitter)</figcaption>

English cricketer Jos Buttler has been in a sublime form in recent times. His recent exploits against MI though in a losing cause is a signal towards a return to form for the opener who has had a string of low scores in his current IPL season

A non-cricketing aspect fetched him some headlines years back during the 2018 <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/pakistans-first-woman-commentator-shuts-down-a-reporter-after-being-questioned-for-wearing-heels-on-pitch/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pakistan’s </a>tour to England in the 2nd test at Headingley during which TV cameras caught a glimpse of the handwritten note on the top of his bat handle. In such a surprise, cameraman focused on the top handle of Buttler’s bat and was a message written on it which read ‘F**K It’.

Buttler explained he marks the top of all his bats in this way, said it&#8217;s a way of reminding himself not to get too wrapped up in the pressure of top-level sport. And that the motto helps him find the best state of mind to bat. &#8220;I think it&#8217;s just something that reminds me of what my best mindset is – when I&#8217;m playing cricket, and probably in life as well,&#8221; he said.

&#8220;It puts cricket in perspective. When you nick off, does it really matter? It&#8217;s just a good reminder when I&#8217;m in the middle when I&#8217;m questioning myself, and it brings me back to a good place,&#8221; he concluded.

~Written by Kevin D’Costa

Cricket is a sport that’s celebrated all over India. It’s played everywhere, from the biggest stadiums to the smallest gullies in the most remote villages.
And whether or not you’re a fan of the sport, every <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ipl-2020-match-20-mi-vs-rr-mumbai-indians-player-ratings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Indian </a>possesses some basic knowledge of the game. Nearly every Indian knows the rules, a few famous players, and the different kinds of matches that we’ve all come to love and enjoy.
We have heard a lot of interesting stories about cricketers and their life. Some are pretty interesting while few leave us in shock. It’s impossible to live in India and not get affected by the love-wave of cricket. Here we bring you some interesting and unknown facts about the cricketers and the game.
Here are some unknown facts about five cricketers:
<h3>1. Why Mohammed Shami’s back has marks?</h3>
<figure id="attachment_451566" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-451566" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-451566" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Mohammed-Shami.jpg" alt="Mohammed Shami" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-451566" class="wp-caption-text">Mohammed Shami. (Photo Source: Instagram)</figcaption></figure>
Mohammed Shami has been in good form in IPL 2020 so far. The long-lay off from the game due to the coronavirus pandemic seems to have little effect on the India pacer as he has hit the ground running in the ongoing competition in the UAE.
Shami, nonetheless, recently left the fans confused with his latest <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/5-viral-instagram-stories-posted-by-wags-of-indian-cricketers-in-ipl-2020/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Instagram </a>post. On Friday evening last week, he took to Instagram to post a picture of him enjoying in the swimming pool. The eagle-eyed fans were quick to spot big spots on his back and bombarded the comment section with their queries.
The reason behind Shami’s spots is cupping therapy. The India international had undergone cupping days ago. During the therapy, special cups are placed on an individual’s skin for a few minutes.
The cups create suction and eventually make the muscles feel relaxed. The process is primarily used for reducing pain and increasing blood flow of the tissues.

<h3>2. Why Suranga Lakmal can’t do an MRI scan?</h3>
<figure id="attachment_262181" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-262181" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-262181" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Sauranga-Lakmal.jpg" alt="Sauranga Lakmal Sri Lanka" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-262181" class="wp-caption-text">Sauranga Lakmal. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
Suranga Lakmal, a right-arm fast bowler from Sri Lanka came into prominence at an early age. He plays in all formats of the game and is also a former Test cricket captain. He has played 61 Tests, 85 ODIs and 11 T20Is for his country picking up 151, 107 and 8 wickets respectively in each of the 3 formats.
Lakmal was one of the cricketers present in the squad during their 2009 tour to Pakistan in which the Sri Lankan team bus was attacked by terrorists. Players such as Thilina Samaraweera, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/sri-lanka-spinner-ajantha-mendis-announces-retirement-from-all-forms-of-cricket/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ajantha Mendis</a> and Suranga Lakmal himself were wounded during that incident.
Lakmal still hasn’t been able to remove one of the splinters (a small, thin, sharp piece of wood, glass, or similar material broken off from a larger piece) from the bullets, fearing that it would take out a substantial amount of game time from his career and would bring his cricketing career to a halt.
Why I have not operated is that I am told after the operation, it takes a long time to recover. I will miss out on quite a bit of cricket. The other problem is that I can’t get an MRI scan done. If I do an MRI on my left leg, it comes blank,” Lakmal told Cricbuzz.
“I am not too sure whether I will ever remove it. Once I am done with cricket, I will consult the surgeons and see. If they feel that it is not harmful to my body, I will let it be,” added Lakmal. It’s happened way back in 2009 but the scares continue to haunt the Sri Lankan speedster till today.

<h3>3. Why Virat Kohli has 9 tattoos on his body?</h3>
<figure id="attachment_227821" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-227821" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-227821" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Virat-Kohli-tattoo.jpg" alt="Virat Kohli tattoo" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-227821" class="wp-caption-text">Virat Kohli tattoo. (Photo Source: Instagram)</figcaption></figure>
After leading the Indian youth side to the Under 19 World Cup title in 2008, Virat Kohli has come a long way since the last decade. He is not only the captain of the Indian cricket team but is also the best batsmen across all three formats in the world right now.
During his journey to success, Virat Kohli got his body inked nine times. Each and every tattoo on Virat’s body has a story to tell and signifies a turning point in the life of the dashing <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/rishabh-pant-should-take-over-reins-from-ms-dhoni-in-the-indian-team-ashish-nehra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Indian </a>batsman.
Kohli often talked about the support he got from his parents since his childhood. Although he lost his father at the age of eighteen, he never really got over the love he had for his father. Indian captain got the names of his parents, Saroj and Prem inked to express the emotion till the last day of his life. Kohli’s left forearm has a tattoo of Lord Shiva meditating with Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar in the background.
Just beside the tattoo of Lord Shiva, there is a tattoo of a monastery. It is important for the most important man in Indian cricket to keep his cool from inside. The tattoo symbolises peace of mind that helps him to remain calm and think wisely. Kohli’s list of tattoos has his ODI and Test cap number. In 2008, Kohli became 175th Indian cricketer to play for India in ODIs and within the next three years, he became the 269th Indian Test player.
The tribal art represents aggression which is certainly an important trait of Kohli. The ‘tribal art’ is the first tattoo he got before painting his whole body with different art. The right arm of Kohli has a tattoo of a Scorpio. This was done because Kohli is a scorpion by birth and it is his sun sign. The right-hander’s birthday is on November 5 1988.
Virat also has a tattoo of a Japanese <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/england-samurai-warrior-jason-roy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Samurai </a>that is based on the Bushido code of the Samurai The tattoo of a big celestial eye. In Kohli’s own words, he calls it– God’s eye. The 9th tattoo is the Om symbol that is the universal sound. This helps the Indian legend to understand the essence of life. This keeps him grounded because the human being is nothing but a dust particle in the universe.

<h3>4. Why Ben Stokes has a lion tattoo on his back?</h3>
<figure id="attachment_453231" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-453231" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-453231" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ben-Stokes-Tattoo.jpg" alt="Ben Stokes' Tattoo" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-453231" class="wp-caption-text">Ben Stokes’ Tattoo. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
England cricketer Ben Stokes is no stranger to tattoos and adding to his already glamorous list of inks, the 29-year-old all-rounder has gotten a giant portrait of ‘Lion’s pride’ on his back, which is a lion, a lioness and two cubs Styled by artist Mel Blyth. The huge tattoo took 28 hours to complete and symbolises his family– wife Claire Ratcliffe, children Layton and Libby and Stokes himself.
Talking about his ink, Stokes captioned his image and said, “Tattoos aren’t everybody’s taste. But they are mine. All my tattoos mean something to me personally and are very special to me. My most recent one represents me, my amazing wife @clarey11 and my 2 wonderful kids.”
“We will always be together now when I’m away touring. 28 hours of pain and it’s finally finished. @mel_elixirtattoos thank you so much for your amazing work I’m over the moon with it. #family” Stokes stated in the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/actress-prachi-singh-fuels-dating-rumours-with-prithvi-shaw-with-her-latest-instagram-story/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Instagram </a>post.

<h3>5. What’s written on Jos Buttler’s bat?</h3>
<figure id="attachment_453227" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-453227" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-453227" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Jos-Buttlers-bat.jpg" alt="Jos Buttler's bat" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-453227" class="wp-caption-text">Jos Buttler’s bat. (Photo Source: Getty Images and Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
English cricketer Jos Buttler has been in a sublime form in recent times. His recent exploits against MI though in a losing cause is a signal towards a return to form for the opener who has had a string of low scores in his current IPL season
A non-cricketing aspect fetched him some headlines years back during the 2018 <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/pakistans-first-woman-commentator-shuts-down-a-reporter-after-being-questioned-for-wearing-heels-on-pitch/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pakistan’s </a>tour to England in the 2nd test at Headingley during which TV cameras caught a glimpse of the handwritten note on the top of his bat handle. In such a surprise, cameraman focused on the top handle of Buttler’s bat and was a message written on it which read ‘F**K It’.
Buttler explained he marks the top of all his bats in this way, said it’s a way of reminding himself not to get too wrapped up in the pressure of top-level sport. And that the motto helps him find the best state of mind to bat. “I think it’s just something that reminds me of what my best mindset is – when I’m playing cricket, and probably in life as well,” he said.
“It puts cricket in perspective. When you nick off, does it really matter? It’s just a good reminder when I’m in the middle when I’m questioning myself, and it brings me back to a good place,” he concluded.
~Written by Kevin D’Costa

Cricket is a sport that’s celebrated all over India. It’s played everywhere, from the biggest stadiums to the smallest gullies in the most remote villages.
And whether or not you’re a fan of the sport, every <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ipl-2020-match-20-mi-vs-rr-mumbai-indians-player-ratings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Indian </a>possesses some basic knowledge of the game. Nearly every Indian knows the rules, a few famous players, and the different kinds of matches that we’ve all come to love and enjoy.
We have heard a lot of interesting stories about cricketers and their life. Some are pretty interesting while few leave us in shock. It&#8217;s impossible to live in India and not get affected by the love-wave of cricket. Here we bring you some interesting and unknown facts about the cricketers and the game.
Here are some unknown facts about five cricketers:
<h3>1. Why Mohammed Shami&#8217;s back has marks?</h3>
<figure id="attachment_451566" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-451566" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-451566" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Mohammed-Shami.jpg" alt="Mohammed Shami" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-451566" class="wp-caption-text">Mohammed Shami. (Photo Source: Instagram)</figcaption></figure>
Mohammed Shami has been in good form in IPL 2020 so far. The long-lay off from the game due to the coronavirus pandemic seems to have little effect on the India pacer as he has hit the ground running in the ongoing competition in the UAE.
Shami, nonetheless, recently left the fans confused with his latest <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/5-viral-instagram-stories-posted-by-wags-of-indian-cricketers-in-ipl-2020/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Instagram </a>post. On Friday evening last week, he took to Instagram to post a picture of him enjoying in the swimming pool. The eagle-eyed fans were quick to spot big spots on his back and bombarded the comment section with their queries.
The reason behind Shami’s spots is cupping therapy. The India international had undergone cupping days ago. During the therapy, special cups are placed on an individual’s skin for a few minutes.
The cups create suction and eventually make the muscles feel relaxed. The process is primarily used for reducing pain and increasing blood flow of the tissues.

<h3>2. Why Suranga Lakmal can&#8217;t do an MRI scan?</h3>
<figure id="attachment_262181" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-262181" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-262181" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Sauranga-Lakmal.jpg" alt="Sauranga Lakmal Sri Lanka" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-262181" class="wp-caption-text">Sauranga Lakmal. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
Suranga Lakmal, a right-arm fast bowler from Sri Lanka came into prominence at an early age. He plays in all formats of the game and is also a former Test cricket captain. He has played 61 Tests, 85 ODIs and 11 T20Is for his country picking up 151, 107 and 8 wickets respectively in each of the 3 formats.
Lakmal was one of the cricketers present in the squad during their 2009 tour to Pakistan in which the Sri Lankan team bus was attacked by terrorists. Players such as Thilina Samaraweera, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/sri-lanka-spinner-ajantha-mendis-announces-retirement-from-all-forms-of-cricket/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ajantha Mendis</a> and Suranga Lakmal himself were wounded during that incident.
Lakmal still hasn’t been able to remove one of the splinters (a small, thin, sharp piece of wood, glass, or similar material broken off from a larger piece) from the bullets, fearing that it would take out a substantial amount of game time from his career and would bring his cricketing career to a halt.
Why I have not operated is that I am told after the operation, it takes a long time to recover. I will miss out on quite a bit of cricket. The other problem is that I can’t get an MRI scan done. If I do an MRI on my left leg, it comes blank,” Lakmal told Cricbuzz.
“I am not too sure whether I will ever remove it. Once I am done with cricket, I will consult the surgeons and see. If they feel that it is not harmful to my body, I will let it be,” added Lakmal. It&#8217;s happened way back in 2009 but the scares continue to haunt the Sri Lankan speedster till today.

<h3>3. Why Virat Kohli has 9 tattoos on his body?</h3>
<figure id="attachment_227821" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-227821" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-227821" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Virat-Kohli-tattoo.jpg" alt="Virat Kohli tattoo" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-227821" class="wp-caption-text">Virat Kohli tattoo. (Photo Source: Instagram)</figcaption></figure>
After leading the Indian youth side to the Under 19 World Cup title in 2008, Virat Kohli has come a long way since the last decade. He is not only the captain of the Indian cricket team but is also the best batsmen across all three formats in the world right now.
During his journey to success, Virat Kohli got his body inked nine times. Each and every tattoo on Virat&#8217;s body has a story to tell and signifies a turning point in the life of the dashing <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/rishabh-pant-should-take-over-reins-from-ms-dhoni-in-the-indian-team-ashish-nehra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Indian </a>batsman.
Kohli often talked about the support he got from his parents since his childhood. Although he lost his father at the age of eighteen, he never really got over the love he had for his father. Indian captain got the names of his parents, Saroj and Prem inked to express the emotion till the last day of his life. Kohli’s left forearm has a tattoo of Lord Shiva meditating with Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar in the background.
Just beside the tattoo of Lord Shiva, there is a tattoo of a monastery. It is important for the most important man in Indian cricket to keep his cool from inside. The tattoo symbolises peace of mind that helps him to remain calm and think wisely. Kohli’s list of tattoos has his ODI and Test cap number. In 2008, Kohli became 175th Indian cricketer to play for India in ODIs and within the next three years, he became the 269th Indian Test player.
The tribal art represents aggression which is certainly an important trait of Kohli. The &#8216;tribal art&#8217; is the first tattoo he got before painting his whole body with different art. The right arm of Kohli has a tattoo of a Scorpio. This was done because Kohli is a scorpion by birth and it is his sun sign. The right-hander’s birthday is on November 5 1988.
Virat also has a tattoo of a Japanese <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/england-samurai-warrior-jason-roy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Samurai </a>that is based on the Bushido code of the Samurai The tattoo of a big celestial eye. In Kohli’s own words, he calls it&#8211; God’s eye. The 9th tattoo is the Om symbol that is the universal sound. This helps the Indian legend to understand the essence of life. This keeps him grounded because the human being is nothing but a dust particle in the universe.

<h3>4. Why Ben Stokes has a lion tattoo on his back?</h3>
<figure id="attachment_453231" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-453231" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-453231" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ben-Stokes-Tattoo.jpg" alt="Ben Stokes' Tattoo" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-453231" class="wp-caption-text">Ben Stokes&#8217; Tattoo. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
England cricketer Ben Stokes is no stranger to tattoos and adding to his already glamorous list of inks, the 29-year-old all-rounder has gotten a giant portrait of &#8216;Lion’s pride&#8217; on his back, which is a lion, a lioness and two cubs Styled by artist Mel Blyth. The huge tattoo took 28 hours to complete and symbolises his family&#8211; wife Claire Ratcliffe, children Layton and Libby and Stokes himself.
Talking about his ink, Stokes captioned his image and said, “Tattoos aren’t everybody’s taste. But they are mine. All my tattoos mean something to me personally and are very special to me. My most recent one represents me, my amazing wife @clarey11 and my 2 wonderful kids.”
“We will always be together now when I’m away touring. 28 hours of pain and it’s finally finished. @mel_elixirtattoos thank you so much for your amazing work I’m over the moon with it. #family” Stokes stated in the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/actress-prachi-singh-fuels-dating-rumours-with-prithvi-shaw-with-her-latest-instagram-story/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Instagram </a>post.

<h3>5. What&#8217;s written on Jos Buttler’s bat?</h3>
<figure id="attachment_453227" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-453227" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-453227" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Jos-Buttlers-bat.jpg" alt="Jos Buttler's bat" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-453227" class="wp-caption-text">Jos Buttler&#8217;s bat. (Photo Source: Getty Images and Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
English cricketer Jos Buttler has been in a sublime form in recent times. His recent exploits against MI though in a losing cause is a signal towards a return to form for the opener who has had a string of low scores in his current IPL season
A non-cricketing aspect fetched him some headlines years back during the 2018 <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/pakistans-first-woman-commentator-shuts-down-a-reporter-after-being-questioned-for-wearing-heels-on-pitch/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pakistan’s </a>tour to England in the 2nd test at Headingley during which TV cameras caught a glimpse of the handwritten note on the top of his bat handle. In such a surprise, cameraman focused on the top handle of Buttler’s bat and was a message written on it which read ‘F**K It’.
Buttler explained he marks the top of all his bats in this way, said it&#8217;s a way of reminding himself not to get too wrapped up in the pressure of top-level sport. And that the motto helps him find the best state of mind to bat. &#8220;I think it&#8217;s just something that reminds me of what my best mindset is – when I&#8217;m playing cricket, and probably in life as well,&#8221; he said.
&#8220;It puts cricket in perspective. When you nick off, does it really matter? It&#8217;s just a good reminder when I&#8217;m in the middle when I&#8217;m questioning myself, and it brings me back to a good place,&#8221; he concluded.
~Written by Kevin D’Costa

Decoding 5 unknown facts about different cricketers

We have heard a lot of interesting stories about cricketers and their life. Some are pretty interesting while few leave us in shock.

4. Why Ben Stokes has a lion tattoo on his back?