Chetan Sharma
He stunned the cricketing world by taking the first-ever World Cup hat-trick, a feat that etched his name into Indian sports history.
Born 1966 (age 60)·Indian cricket player and politician·Birthday: January 3·Generation X
Biography
Chetan Sharma took a hat-trick in the 1987 Cricket World Cup at Nagpur, dismissing three New Zealand batsmen with consecutive deliveries and becoming the first man to achieve that feat in a World Cup match. The wiry fast bowler from Haryana brought aggression to the Indian attack in the mid-1980s. He was a vital component of the team that won the 1985 World Championship of Cricket in Australia. His playing career mixed fiery spells with frustrating injuries. After retirement, he moved into cricket commentary and administration, then served as a member of the Haryana Legislative Assembly. That single over in Nagpur defined his international legacy, but his journey also included the long path after the peak of instant fame.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Chetan was born in 1966, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Chetan Was Born
The biggest hits of 1966
#1 Movie
The Bible: In the Beginning
Best Picture
A Man for All Seasons
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
Chetan's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1966Born
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1971Started school
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1979Became a teenager
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Could drive
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1984Could vote
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1987Turned 21
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1996Turned 30
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 40
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 50
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 60
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Became the first bowler to take a hat-trick in a Cricket World Cup, achieving it against New Zealand in 1987.
- Was part of the Indian squad that won the 1985 World Championship of Cricket in Australia.
- His 1987 hat-trick was also the first by an Indian bowler in One Day International cricket.
- Represented India in 23 Test matches and 65 ODIs between 1983 and 1994.
Did You Know?
He famously dismissed Pakistan's Javed Miandad with the last ball of a tight Austral-Asia Cup final in 1986, a match India won by one wicket.
After retirement, he served as a selector for the Indian national cricket team.
He was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in Haryana for the Bharatiya Janata Party.
“A hat-trick in a World Cup is something you can't plan for; it just happens.”
