Cricketer-turned-cop DSP Joginder Sharma back in news, now for announcing police action against ‘violent protestors’

Talking to The Indian Express, Sharma, who is now a DSP in the Haryana Police, said, “Some people are misinterpreting the video as if we are going to initiate action against the protestors. It is incorrect. We are taking action against those who are indulging in ‘violence’ during the ongoing protests. I am doing my duty as any other police officer. We have initiated action only against those who are indulging in violence and not against other protestors. So far, nearly 100 such people have been identified and action is being initiated against them.”

Since October 2007, when he joined the Haryana Police, Sharma has served in Jhajjar, Bahadurgarh, Yamunanagar, Hisar, Tohana, Sirsa, Ambala, and Kalka besides serving in the police headquarters and the vigilance department as well.

“I was posted at Ambala for about a year and a half before I was transferred to Kalka. I spent about three months in Kalka and was posted back to Ambala about 20-25 days ago. Since then, I have also been dealing with the protestors like other police officers deployed here,” DSP Sharma said.

The 40-year-old former cricketer was also lauded for his work during the Covid-19 pandemic. In January this year, he knocked at the doors of the Punjab and Haryana High Court when his name was not included in the list of 12 officers being considered for elevation to the rank of IPS officer.

Born on October 23, 1983; Sharma is a graduate of MDU, Rohtak. He also captained the Haryana cricket team.

Sharma represented the Indian cricket team in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007. He played cricket for over two decades and announced his retirement from all formats of international and domestic cricket on February 3, 2023. He also played under M S Dhoni for the Chennai Super Kings from 2008 to 2011 and picked 14 wickets in 16 matches.

The medium pacer played four ODIs and as many T20Is between 2004 and 2007. In the 2007 T20 World Cup final, Dhoni took a gamble by giving the last over to Sharma. In that match, Pakistan needed 13 runs in the final over with only one wicket left. Misbah-ul-Haq, who was batting with Mohammad Asif, single-handedly led Pakistan’s chase of 158 runs after they were reduced to 6/77.

After bringing it down to a situation where Pakistan required six runs in four deliveries, Misbah-ul-Haq played a scoop shot in the third delivery of Sharma’s over that landed straight into the hands of fine-leg fielder S Sreesanth, giving India a nail-biting victory in the final.