Navjot Singh Sidhu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Navjot Singh Sidhu
Sidhu in 2018
Member of Punjab Legislative Assembly
In office 11 March 2017 – 10 March 2022
Preceded by	Navjot Kaur Sidhu
Succeeded by	Jeevan Jyot Kaur
Constituency	Amritsar East
President of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee
In office 18 July 2021 – 9 April 2022
Preceded by	Sunil Jakhar
Succeeded by	Amrinder Singh Raja Warring
Punjab Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs
In office 16 March 2017 – 20 July 2019
Chief Minister	Amarinder Singh
Succeeded by	Charanjit Singh Channi
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
In office 25 April 2016 – 18 July 2016
Nominated by	Pranab Mukherjee
Preceded by	Ashok Sekhar Ganguly
Succeeded by	Roopa Ganguly
Constituency	Nominated (Sports)
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office 22 May 2004 – 16 May 2014
Preceded by	Raghunandan Lal Bhatia
Succeeded by	Amarinder Singh
Constituency	Amritsar, Punjab
Personal details
Born	(1963-10-20) 20 October 1963 (age 61) Patiala, Punjab, India
Political party	Indian National Congress (2017–present)
Other political affiliations	Bharatiya Janata Party (2004–2016) Aawaaz-e-Punjab (2016-2017)
Spouse	Navjot Kaur Sidhu
Residence	26, Yadavmdra Colony, Mall Road, Patiala
Education	H. R. College of Commerce and Economics Mohindra College Punjab University
Occupation	Politician cricketer media personality
Nicknames	Sherry, Sixer Sidhu, Jonty Singh
Cricket information Batting Right-handed Bowling Right-arm medium Role Batsman International information National side India (1983–1999) Test debut (cap 166) 12 November 1983 v West Indies Last Test 6 January 1999 v New Zealand ODI debut (cap 61) 9 October 1987 v Australia Last ODI 20 September 1998 v Pakistan Domestic team information Years Team 1981–2000 Punjab Career statistics Competition Test ODI FC LA Matches 51 136 157 205 Runs scored 3,202 4,413 9,571 7,186 Batting average 42.13 37.08 44.31 41.77 100s/50s 9/15 6/33 27/50 10/55 Top score 201 134* 286 139 Catches/stumpings 9/– 20/– 50/– 31/– Medal record Men's Cricket Representing  India ACC Asia Cup Winner 1988 Bangladesh Winner 1990-91 India Winner 1995 United Arab Emirates Runner-up 1997 Sri Lanka Source: ESPNcricinfo, 1 January 2009

Navjot Singh Sidhu (born 20 October 1963) is a well-known Indian politician, a famous television personality, and a former international cricketer. He was once the President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee. He also served as the Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs for the state of Punjab.

Sidhu started his political journey with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2004. He won the election from Amritsar and held that seat until 2014. In 2016, he was chosen for the Rajya Sabha, which is like the upper house of the Indian Parliament. However, he resigned later that year and left the BJP.

In 2017, he joined the Indian National Congress party. He was then elected to the Punjab Legislative Assembly from Amritsar East. He did not win the election in 2022 from the same area.

As a cricketer, Sidhu played for India for over 19 years. He was known for hitting many sixes, earning him the nickname "Sixer Sidhu." He played in 51 Test matches and 136 One-Day Internationals (ODIs). He was part of the Indian teams that won the 1988 Asia Cup, 1990-91 Asia Cup, and 1995 Asia Cup.

After retiring from cricket, Sidhu became a popular TV personality. He was a judge on comedy shows and a regular guest on Comedy Nights with Kapil and The Kapil Sharma Show. He also appeared on the reality show Bigg Boss.

Early Life and Background

Navjot Singh Sidhu was born in Patiala, Punjab, India, on 20 October 1963. His father, Sardar Bhagwant Singh, was also a cricket player. He hoped his son would become a top cricketer.

Sidhu went to Yadavindra Public School in Patiala. He later studied at HR College of Commerce and Economics in Mumbai. He is married to Navjot Kaur Sidhu, who is a doctor and was also a member of the Punjab Legislative Assembly.

Cricket Career Highlights

Navjot Singh Sidhu's cricket journey began in November 1981. He played for the Punjab team in his first-class debut. He scored 51 runs in that match.

Early Challenges and World Cup Success

Sidhu joined the Indian Test team in November 1983. This was after he scored 122 runs for the North Zone team. His first Test match was in Ahmedabad against the West Indies. He scored 20 runs and was later dropped from the team.

He was called back to the national team four years later for the World Cup. In his first One Day International (ODI) match against Australia, he scored 73 runs. This innings included five sixes. Australia's captain, Allan Border, was impressed, saying, "When the bloke hits the ball, it stays hit."

Sidhu continued his great form in the World Cup. He scored 75 runs against New Zealand, helping India win. He made two more half-centuries against Australia and Zimbabwe. This made him the first player to score four half-centuries in a row on his ODI debut. He also helped India win the 1988 Asia Cup and was named man of the tournament.

Returning to Test Cricket

Sidhu returned to the Test team in November 1988. He scored 116 runs in a match against New Zealand in Bangalore. He followed this with 43 runs, helping India win. His second Test century came against the West Indies in 1989. He scored 116 runs on a very fast pitch.

In 1989–90, he played well against Pakistan. He scored 97 runs in one match, helping India when they were struggling. He later had some tough tours in England and Australia.

Sidhu was recalled to the team when England toured India in 1992–93. He scored his third Test century, 106 runs, in Madras. He played a key role in India winning the match and the series. He was also India's best player in the ODI series that followed. He scored 287 runs and made two match-winning scores of 76 and 134. The 134 runs against England in Gwalior was his highest ODI score. He called it his best innings when he retired.

An article that criticized his early performance, titled "Sidhu: The Strokeless Wonder," motivated him. After his success in the 1987 World Cup, the same writer praised him as "Sidhu: From Strokeless Wonder To A Palm-Grove Hitter."

Sidhu scored over 500 Test runs in a year three times (1993, 1994, and 1997). He was the first Indian batsman to score more than 5 centuries in One Day Internationals.

Navjot Singh Sidhu on the sets of Sony Max.

Double Century and Retirement

In 1997, Sidhu scored his first double century in Test matches. This was against the West Indies in Port of Spain. He scored 201 runs, which was one of the slowest double centuries in Test history. The match ended in a draw.

Sidhu retired from all forms of cricket in December 1999. He played 51 Test matches and over 100 ODIs. He scored more than 7,000 international runs. He was known for attacking spin bowlers. He hit eight sixes in one match against Sri Lanka in 1993–94. He also hit four half-centuries against Australia in 1997–98, especially targeting Shane Warne.

He earned nicknames like "Sixer Sidhu" for his powerful hitting. He was also called "Jonty Singh" because his fielding improved a lot later in his career, similar to the famous fielder Jonty Rhodes.

Career Best Performances

Commentary and Television Career

After his cricket career, Navjot Singh Sidhu became a cricket commentator in 2001. He became famous for his unique one-liners, which people called "Sidhuisms." A website was even created to share his best "Sidhuism of the day."

Sidhu (center) on Extraaa Innings T20 during IPL 2012 with Isa Guha (right) and guest Sanjay Dutt (left)

Sidhu also appeared as a judge on TV shows like The Great Indian Laughter Challenge. He was a contestant on the reality show Bigg Boss 6 in 2012. From 2013 to 2016, he was a permanent guest on Comedy Nights with Kapil. He continued this role on The Kapil Sharma Show until 2019.

In 2019, Sidhu faced some controversy after comments he made about the Pulwama Terrorist Attack. He was later replaced on The Kapil Sharma Show.

Sidhu also made cameo appearances in a few films. He was a commentator in the 2004 Hindi film Mujhse Shaadi Karogi. In the 2008 Punjabi film Mera Pind, he played a main role as an Indian living abroad who returns home. His most recent film appearance was in 2015 in ABCD 2. In 2024, Sidhu returned to cricket commentary for the IPL season and the ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

Political Journey

Navjot Singh Sidhu has had an interesting political career, moving between different parties.

Joining the Bharatiya Janata Party

Sidhu first entered politics with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He won the election from Amritsar in the 2004 Indian general elections. He later resigned due to a court case. However, after the Supreme Court allowed him to, he successfully ran again. He won the by-election by a large number of votes.

In the 2009 general elections, he won again. He defeated Om Prakash Soni of the Indian National Congress. When he was not chosen to run from Amritsar in the 2014 Indian general election, he said he would only contest from Amritsar or not at all. He respected the party's decision but stuck to his promise.

Member of Rajya Sabha

Navjot Singh Sidhu became a member of the Rajya Sabha on 28 April 2016. The Rajya Sabha is one of the two houses of India's Parliament. He resigned from this position on 18 July 2016.

Forming Aawaaz-e-Punjab

On 2 September 2016, Sidhu started a new political group called Aawaaz-e-Punjab. He formed it with Pargat Singh and the Bains brothers. They aimed to fight for the people of Punjab.

Joining the Indian National Congress

In January 2017, Sidhu joined the Indian National Congress party. He ran for election from Amritsar East in the 2017 Punjab Assembly elections. He won by a big margin of over 42,000 votes. He then became a minister in the state government.

As the Minister of Tourism and Local Bodies, Sidhu helped with Project Virasat. This project works to save a special handicraft of making brass utensils. This craft is done by the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru, an area in his former constituency.

In 2018, Sidhu visited Pakistan for the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Imran Khan. He was criticized for hugging the Pakistani army chief, Qamar Javed Bajwa. The then Punjab Chief Minister, Amarinder Singh, expressed his disapproval.

In June 2019, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh changed Sidhu's ministries. On 14 July 2019, Sidhu shared his resignation from the Punjab Cabinet. His resignation was accepted on 20 July 2019. Later, Sidhu openly spoke about his concerns regarding the Punjab Government's handling of a sensitive case.

On 18 July 2021, Sidhu was appointed as the President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee. He replaced Sunil Kumar Jakhar. On 28 September 2021, he resigned from this post, but his resignation was not accepted by the party.

In the 2022 Punjab Legislative Assembly election, Sidhu lost his seat in Amritsar East Assembly constituency. He was defeated by Aam Aadmi Party candidate Jeevan Jyot Kaur.

Kartarpur Corridor Initiative

In August 2018, Navjot Singh Sidhu was invited to the oath-taking ceremony of Pakistan's new Prime Minister, Imran Khan. Sidhu said that the Pakistani army chief had promised him to open the Kartarpur corridor. This corridor would allow Sikh pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur in Pakistan without a visa.

Later, the Government of Pakistan confirmed they would open the corridor. This was before the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, a very important figure in Sikhism. Navjot Singh Sidhu thanked his friend Imran Khan for this important step.

In late November 2018, Sidhu faced some questions about a photo. The photo showed him with a controversial figure. Sidhu said that many people met him in Pakistan and took pictures, and he couldn't know everyone.

Images for kids

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  Sidhu (left) on Extraaa Innings T20, 2012