Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar walked into the field in 1989 and global cricket audiences immediately fell in love with the boy with a heart of gold and a fiery batting style. Here are a few reasons why people love Sachin Tendulkar.
A true icon
Over the course of his two and a half decades long active career in cricket, no one has ever accused Sachin of having uttered a single word of abuse towards a rival, a teammate, a junior, a fan, a commentator or anyone else that the player might have come in contact with on or off the field. Even against the Mighty Australian team of yesteryears lead by Steve Waugh who were notorious for using sledging to promote “mental disintegration” among their rivals on the field.
His performances talk, he doesn’t
When your cricket career spans more than 24 years, you are bound to have had a few months of bad form every cricketing season. While that has been true for Sachin as well, the man has never lashed out at critics. He has been asked to drop out of the team, faced criticism when he wasn’t scoring too well and even had to face calls to retire once he crossed 35 years of age. However, the man has never once responded verbally to any such criticism but has always silenced his detractors through stunning performances.
Contribution to Indian and world cricket
While cricket undoubtedly became a hotly followed sport in India following the team’s World Cup victory in 1983, the passion and following for the sport only exploded in the country after Sachin Tendulkar became a part of the test and ODI teams. In world cricket too, he is widely respected for his performance and for being one of the last true gentlemen in what used to be known as the gentlemen’s game.
Despite his smallish frame, the man is a very large figure in cricket as well as Indian culture.
