Essay on Sachin Tendulkar – My Favourite Sportsman
“Don’t stop chasing your dreams because dreams do come true.” – Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, also known as Master Blaster, Little Master and Bombay Bomber, is one of the finest cricketers the world has ever witnessed.
He comes from a very humble background. His father was a Marathi language teacher. Sachin took an interest in playing cricket at the age of eleven and made his test debut against Pakistan in Karachi at the age of sixteen.
He is the one and the only player to have one hundred international centuries to his name and holds many other mind-blowing records till this date. Sachin Tendulkar is not considered as merely a cricketer in our country but is worshipped and regarded as equivalent to god.
Sachin Tendulkar – Early years and rise of a career
Tendulkar was considered as a bully in his early schooling years. To keep him from being mischievous, he was introduced to the gentleman’s game. He took a very fond liking to this sport and practised endlessly for days and nights.
To motivate him further, his coach used to put a one-rupee coin on his stumps and say that whoever could dismiss little Sachin, would be the winner of the coin. And if no one could get him out, then the coin would rightfully be given to Tendulkar himself. Tendulkar still considers his thirteen won coins as one of his most invaluable possessions.
Indian selectors noticed Sachin in a school tournament game. He was selected to represent Bombay in the Ranji Trophy at the age of fourteen. Before playing as a complete opening batsman for India, Sachin also played his part as a ball boy and as a substitute.
In his test match debut against Pakistan, he took a blow to his nose by the ball bowled to him by Waqar Younis. He did not take any medical assistance even though blood was gushing out and continued to deliver excellent innings.
After this, Tendulkar even managed to hit two centuries against the Australian team, which was considered as invincible during those times. In 1996, Sachin Tendulkar took over as the captain of the Indian cricket team for two continuous tenures.
Unfortunately, he could not live up to the expectations and hopes of his country’s people as a captain and the Indian teamed performed below par or poorly under his captain-ship.
He was the one who recommended and suggested the name of Mahendra Singh Dhoni to be chosen for the captaincy post to the then BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) president, Sharad Pawar.
Best Innings of Sachin Tendulkar
Tendulkar has shown utmost perseverance and determination on as well as off the field. He has mastered every batting stroke and displayed some of the most excellent innings ever played in the history of cricket. Some of them are as follows-:
In the year 1998 in a match against Australia at Sharjah, the Indian team had two goals. First, they needed 285 runs to beat the Australian side and second, they needed to put up a minimum of 254 runs to qualify for the final.
Tendulkar scored a mesmerizing 143 runs in the match even when a dust storm was causing complete havoc in the stadium. It is regarded as one of Sachin’s most destructive and classic knocks.
In a match against South Africa in the year 2010, Sachin Tendulkar scored a double century. He was the first cricketer ever to score two hundred runs in a one day international. Team India put up a massive score of 401 runs on the board with a loss of just three wickets.
In a match against Pakistan in the year 2003, Sachin Tendulkar scored a total of 98 runs off just 75 balls. He scored fours and sixes on the deliveries of fantastic fast bowlers including Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar. He showed the perfect mix of aggression and precision on the field. Sachin himself calls this as his best innings.
Sachin Tendulkar’s life post-retirement
Sachin retired from cricket on November 15, 2013, after entertaining the Indian as well as the foreign crowds for a long 24 years. Tendulkar never had any intention of completely moving away or abandoning the sporting world, which he made very clear.
After retiring, he continued being a mentor to the younger and newer players of the Mumbai Indians IPL (Indian Premier League) team. Sachin even bought a football team of his own in the Indian Super League and named them Kerala Blasters.
Tendulkar also took part actively in social causes. He was made the brand ambassador of the Swacch Bharat Abhiyan and also adopted a village in the state of Andhra Pradesh with the sole aim of developing the rural areas.
He was also seen joining hands with the Bollywood star Aamir Khan in an attempt to conserve precious water resources. He also collaborated with the Mumbai Railway Police to spread the word about passenger safety and security.
Tendulkar has also done a lot of brand endorsements and is associated with several names including UNICEF, BMW, Quaker, DBS Bank, etc.
Honours and Awards
Sachin Tendulkar has been known to be an inspiration to so many cricketers, who say that one of the reasons they started playing cricket in the first place was because of Tendulkar.
The names include Shefali Verma, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, etc. Sachin was awarded the Arjuna Award in 1994 for his outstanding achievement in sports. He also received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in the year 1997.
This award is the highest sporting honour in the country. In 1999, he was awarded the Padma Shri and in 2008, the Padma Vibhushan. He was also included in the annual TIME list of 100 most influential people in the world in the year 2010.
Shortly after his retirement, Sachin Tendulkar was also bestowed with the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award in the nation. Sachin remains the youngest person ever to receive this award and the first sportsperson to get it.
Whenever one thinks about cricket, the name of the legendary Sachin Tendulkar is bound to come. He still lives on to be an idol and inspiration to millions.
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