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Sachin Tendulkar is often identified as the “God of Cricket”… But why is it so?
Cricket is not just another sport in India. It is the 3rd most important entity in our country after Politics and Bollywood. The 1990s witnessed a grim phase for cricket in India as the authority under which it was being functioned – BCCI – was declining financially. The likes of Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev had hung up their boots, and the entire nation was waiting, with bated breath, for its next superstar to look up to. And it did come, albeit in the unlikeliest of packages – a 16-year-old, 5’6″ tall curly-haired man who knew only one expression – to smile. However, neither of that mattered. What mattered was that he let his bat do the talking. At that time nobody knew this little boy is going to be the god of cricket in the world.
His impeccable shot selection, his crisp timing, and that sweet sound when the ball hit the middle of the bat captured the imagination of the scores. As years went by, the commentators were scrambling for dictionaries to find words to describe and admire, but this man never once lost his Midas touch. By the end of an illustrious 24-years-long career, he had written the script for Modern Indian Cricket and given the world the ‘ideal’ way of batting. Sachin Tendulkar is not just a legendary cricketer but a divine entity who made miracles visually possible for ordinary people whenever they sat in front of their TV sets. Let us see and understand why Sachin Tendulkar is called the ‘God of Cricket’.
Numbers that prove Sachin is the “God of Cricket”
34,357 runs, 100 centuries, 164 half-centuries at an average of 51.74 in 664 international appearances along with 200 international wickets and 256 catches! This is what our Master Blaster’s international career looks like statistically! These numbers prove that there’s no doubt that Sachin is the complete athlete to have ever played the game of Cricket on this planet and rightly titled the God of Cricket. To do the same thing over and over again needs focus and consistency. But if a batsman scores consistently at an average of 50+ in 664 matches, it is indeed true that he is not an ordinary human being like all of us!
Records That Make Sachin “The God Of Cricket”
Sachin: The God Of ODI
- The highest number of centuries (49) and fifties (96)
- Most centuries in a calendar year (9 in 1998)
- The first person to score a double century
- Maximum 150+ run-scores
- The highest number of the Man of the Match awards (62)
- Most Man of the Series awards (15)
Sachin Tendulkar all ODI Records
| S.N | Records By Sachin Tendulkar |
| 1 | 1st person to score a double century in One Day Internationals |
| 2 | Highest number of centuries (49) |
| 3 | Highest number of the fifties (96) |
| 4 | Most 150+ scores (5) |
| 5 | Most runs in a calendar year (1,894 runs in the year 1998) |
| 6 | Most centuries in a calendar year (9 in the year 1998) |
| 7 | Most centuries against a single opponent (9 ODI centuries against Australia) |
| 8 | Most 4s scored (2,016 times!) |
| 9 | Most one day internationals – 463 |
| 10 | First player to score 10,000 right up to 18,000 ODI runs |
| 11 | Most Man of the Match (MoM) awards (62) |
| 12 | Most Man of the Match awards in World Cup Matches (9). |
| 13 | Most Man of the Series (MoS) awards (15) |
| 14 | Most number of consecutive matches for a team. (Between 25th April, 1990 and 24th April, 1998, Sachin represented India in 185 consecutive ODIs matches) |
| 15 | Sachin has scored 1,000+ runs in a calendar year on 7 occasions (1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003, and 2007) |
| 16 | Most stadium appearances. In ODI cricket, Sachin has played on 90+ different grounds across the world. |
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar: The God of Cricket in Test
- The highest number of centuries (51)
- Leading run-scorer (11,953)
- Joint-fastest cricketer to reach 10,000 runs in Test cricket with Brian Lara
- 1000+ Test runs in a calendar years (6 times – 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2008, 2010)
- Only player in the world to have scored 5 Test centuries before turning 20.
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Sachin Tendulkar all Test Records
| S.N | Sachin Tendulkar Test Records |
| 1 | Highest number of centuries in the history of Test cricket (51) |
| 2 | Leading run-scorer in Test cricket- 11,953 |
| 3 | Fastest man to reach the milestone of 8,000 runs in Test cricket, 154 innings |
| 4 | First man to reach 12,000 right up to 15,000 runs in Test cricket |
| 5 | First Indian batsman to have scored 6 Test hundreds in a calendar year |
| 6 | Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for the most number of 150+ scores in Test cricket. (He has 20 scores of 150+ to his credit). |
| 7 | Won the Man of the Match award 14 times, which is the highest by an Indian |
| 8 | 1,000+ Test runs in a calendar year on 6 occasions |
| 9 | Sachin Tendulkar was 17 years and 197 days old when he scored his first Test hundred. Youngest Indian to have scored a Test hundred |
| 10 | Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid have put on 19 hundred-plus stands in Test cricket. This is a world record for the most number of century partnerships by a single pair in Test cricket |
| 11 | First overseas batsman to have scored 5 centuries on South African soil |
| 12 | Record of 29 overseas Test hundreds |
| 13 | He has scored 12 hundreds after the age of 35. Graham Gooch of England remains the only other player to have done so. |
| 14 | Only player in the world to have played in 200 Test matches |
Awards won by Sahin Tendulkar: The Cricket God
| S.No. | Year | Awards |
| 1 | 1994 | Arjuna Award recipient for achievements in cricket |
| 2 | 1997 | Tendulkar was one of the five cricketers selected as Wisden Cricketer of the Year |
| 3 | 1997/98 | India’s highest sporting honour – Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna |
| 4 | 1999 | Padma Shri – India’s fourth-highest civilian award |
| 5 | 2001 | Maharashtra Bhushan Award – Maharashtra’s highest civilian award |
| 6 | 2008 | Padma Vibhushan – India’s second-highest civilian award |
| 7 | 2010 | ICC Cricketer of the year – The highest award in the ICC listings |
| 8 | 2010 | LG People’s Choice Award, Listed in “Most Influential People in the World” – Time 100 List |
| 9 | 2009,10,11 | ICC World Test XI |
| 10 | 2004,07,10 | ICC World ODI XI: |
| 11 | 1998,2010 | Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World |
| 12 | 2014 | Bharat Ratna – India’s highest civilian award |
| 13 | 2019 | Was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, Most Effective Swachhata Ambassador award at Safaigiri |
| 14 | 2020 | Laureus World Sports Awards – Sporting Moment of the Year (2000–2020) |
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Sachin Tendulkar- Cricket God & A True Gentleman
And it’s just not about the numbers. If anyone else would have got 10% as much following and popularity similar to the one Sachin had, it is natural that the person might get affected and develop at least some amount of arrogance. However, that has certainly not been the case with Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. He is still one of the most humble and down-to-earth people you could ever come across. In a 24-year-old long international career, Sachin has never been a part of a controversy. He has never been the talking point for any immoral incident or accident. Even after being considered the best player by the best in the business, Sachin has never let that affect him or his performances.
Even after his retirement from all forms of cricket, mothers in India consider him as the ideal son, children think of him as the perfect mentor, and teachers consider him the ideal student! Tendulkar’s aura and simplicity make him a true gentleman and god of cricket who has been respected by every professional cricketer as well as a fan of the game of cricket. All these factors surely justify the godly presence he has throughout the world and why he is one in a billion!.
Again you will get to see him playing as the Master Blaster, Tendulkar is back on the field. He will lead the defending champions India Legends in the second edition of the Road Safety World Series (RSWS) to be played from September 10 to October 1, 2022.
Origin of the term God of Cricket
Although there’s not one single person who originated the term, there have been traces of the origin of associating Sachin as the ‘God of Cricket’. Once when Sachin was in his prime form in the late 1990s, a group of fans in the Indian crowd came up with posters that said, “If cricket is our religion, then Sachin is our God.” This quote came in an age when social media didn’t exist. It was the Indian media that used Sachin’s persona and Indians’ affection towards Tendulkar and made this viral among the masses.
A lot of people also say that the first person to coin him this term was former Australian opener, Matthew Hayden. Hayden was a huge admirer of the way Sachin played. In one of his public statements, Hayden said-
“I have seen God. He bats at no.4 for India in tests.”
Since then, there has been no looking back. The term ‘God of cricket’ has always been synonymous to Sachin Tendulkar. Maybe there is no better way of describing this living legend after all!
Sachin Tendulkar Family
This 49-year-old legend was born on 24 April 1973 in Bombay, Maharashtra. Sachin Tendulkar has three elder siblings: two half-brothers Nitin and Ajit, and a half-sister Savita. Tendulkar spent his early years in the Sahitya Sahawas Cooperative Housing Society in Bandra. Tendulkar married Anjali Mehta on 24 May 1995, whom he had first met in 1990. They have a daughter Sara and a son Arjun Tendulkar.
His son, Arjun Tendulkar is a left-handed fast bowler and left-handed batsman. Arjun made an under-19 debut for India against Sri Lanka in 2018. He also made his Twenty20 debut in the 2020–21 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy against Haryana.
Also Read | Top 14 Autobiographies of Cricketers
14 Famous Quotes on Sachin Tendulkar by Cricket Legends
Here are 14 famous quotations on Sachin Tendulkar that proves Sachin is the god of cricket.
- “Nothing bad can happen to us on a plane in India with Sachin Tendulkar on it.” -Hashim Amla, South African Cricketer.
- “There are two batsmen all around the world: One, Sachin Tendulkar. Two, all others.” –Andy Flower, former Zimbabwe captain.
- “He’s been in form longer than some of our guys have been alive.”- Daniel Vettori, former New Zealand captain.
- “I don’t know cricket; I don’t know how Sachin plays. But I still try to watch him playing because I want to know why my country’s economy goes down 0.5% when he’s batting.” – Barack Obama (former US President)
- “The joy he brings to the millions of his countrymen, the grace with which he handles all the adulation and the expectations and his innate humility – all make for a one-in-a-billion individual.” – Glenn McGrath, former Australian bowler.
I have delayed my shoots many times to watch Sachin bat – Amitabh Bachchan.
- I am fortunate that I’ve to bowl at him only in the nets – Anil Kumble
- Never coached Sachin Tendulkar, just gave him gentle advice when he asked for it – John Wright
- He can play that leg glance with a walking stick also – Waqar Younis
- We won with ten but lost to one – Steve Waugh
- Don’t bowl him bad balls, he hits the good ones for fours. — Michael Kasprowicz
- When we were growing up, we all used to watch Sachin. He was like God to us, he had that aura around him.— MS Dhoni
- We have had champions, we have had legends, but we have never had another Sachin Tendulkar and we never will. — TIME magazine
- I had to remind Gary Kristen often that he was in the covers to field against Sachin and not to applaud him.— Hansie Cronje
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar: A Living Legend
“When I watched Sachin play, I was very struck by his technique. I never saw myself play, but I feel this fellow is playing much the way I used to play.”
-Sir Donald Bradman, Australian cricketing legend
Three times Sachin Tendulkar was dismissed for 99 in ODIs, against England, South Africa, and Pakistan in 2007. Geoffrey Boycott was the first to get out on 99 in both Tests and ODIs.
Sachin Tendulkar was born in a Rajapur Saraswat Brahmin Maharashtrian family. His father, Ramesh Tendulkar was a famous Marathi novelist and his mother, Rajni Tendulkar, worked in the insurance industry.
Currently many consider Rohit Sharma as the second God of cricket. After Sachin’s retirement, many considered Virat Kohli as the God of cricket. Rohit Sharma has the stats and potential to be called the 2nd God of cricket, and he is also often called the God of T20.
