New Delhi: Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar was honoured with the Col. CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award at the BCCI’s Naman Awards on Saturday, becoming the 31st recipient of this prestigious accolade. The award, introduced in 1994, is named after India’s first captain, Col. C K Nayudu.
Tendulkar played 664 international matches for India and is widely regarded as the “Master Blaster.” He holds the record for the most runs in both Test and ODI cricket. With 200 Test appearances and 463 ODIs, he also holds the record for the most games played in these formats. Tendulkar accumulated 15,921 runs in Tests and an astonishing 18,426 runs in ODIs.
Although Tendulkar featured in just one T20 International throughout his remarkable career, he is widely regarded as the finest batter of his generation. Not only was he a prolific run-scorer, but he also became a symbol of cricketing excellence, with a career spanning over two decades, beginning at the age of 16 in his debut Test match against Pakistan in 1989.
In addition to his widely recognized and numerous batting achievements, Tendulkar played a crucial role in India’s triumph in the 2011 World Cup, marking his sixth and final appearance in the prestigious tournament. During his prime, the small but mighty right-hander had the power to captivate the nation every time he stepped onto the field.
Opposing teams often viewed his wicket as the ultimate prize, with many acknowledging that Tendulkar was the only Indian batsman capable of instilling fear in their ranks. His rise in Indian cricket coincided with the country’s economic boom, and the curly-haired prodigy quickly became a beloved figure across corporate India, establishing an unparalleled emotional bond with fans from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.
At the age of 17, when Tendulkar scored a century on the challenging, bouncy Perth pitch, many teenagers discovered a hero. Later, during the iconic ‘Desert Storm hundred’ innings in Sharjah against Australia in 1998, a middle-aged man somewhere wished he could call him his son.
When he fought through immense pain and almost led India to victory against Pakistan in Chennai in 1999, a billion hearts shattered when he broke down. In 2011, when he embraced Mahendra Singh Dhoni in tears after India’s World Cup triumph, a nation shared in his joy. And in November 2013, as he walked off the field in Mumbai amid an outpouring of affection from fans, thousands wept, wishing he could play forever.
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