Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, born 24 April 1973, is a former Indian international cricketer who once captained the national side. He is widely considered one of cricket’s all-time greats. His records include being the highest run-scorer in international cricket, winning the most player-of-the-match awards, and being the only batsman to reach 100 international centuries. From 2012 to 2018, he served as a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha, India’s upper house of parliament.

Tendulkar started playing cricket at age eleven. He made his Test debut on 15 November 1989 against Pakistan in Karachi when he was sixteen, and went on to represent Mumbai domestically and India internationally for more than 24 years. In 2002, halfway through his career, Wisden ranked him the second-greatest Test batsman ever (behind Don Bradman) and the second-greatest ODI batsman ever (behind Viv Richards). That same year, he was part of the team that jointly won the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy. Later, he was a member of the Indian squad that won the 2011 Cricket World Cup—his first World Cup victory in six appearances. He had earlier been named Player of the Tournament at the 2003 World Cup.

India’s government has given him several awards: the Arjuna Award (1994), the Khel Ratna Award (1997), the Padma Shri (1998), and the Padma Vibhushan (2008). After his final match in November 2013, the Prime Minister’s Office announced he would receive the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honor. He was the first sportsperson to get it and remains the youngest recipient. He retired from ODI cricket in 2012 and from all forms of cricket in November 2013, following his 200th Test match. In total, he played 664 international matches and scored 34,357 runs. In 2013, Wisden included him in an all-time Test World XI for its 150th anniversary; he was one of only two specialist batsmen from the post-World War II era (along with Viv Richards) to make the team.

Tendulkar is seen as a symbol of national pride in India. In 2010, Time listed him among the world’s most influential people. That year, he also won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year. In 2019, he was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

He was born on 24 April 1973 at Nirmal Nursing Home in Dadar, Bombay, into a Marathi family. His father, Ramesh Tendulkar, was a Marathi novelist and poet; his mother, Rajni, worked in insurance. His father named him after his favorite music director, Sachin Dev Burman. Tendulkar has three older siblings: half-brothers Nitin and Ajit, and half-sister Savita, all from his father’s first marriage (his first wife died after her third child). His brother Ajit played in Bombay’s Kanga Cricket League.

Tendulkar grew up in the Sahitya Sahawas Cooperative Housing Society in Bandra (East). As a young boy, he was considered a bully and often picked fights with new children at school. He was interested in both tennis and cricket, idolizing American player John McEnroe; at age seven or eight, he grew his hair long and wore tennis wristbands and headbands, carrying a tennis racquet everywhere.

To curb his bullying, his brother Ajit introduced him to cricket in 1984. Ajit took him to coach Ramakant Achrekar at Shivaji Park in Dadar. At first, Tendulkar played poorly. Ajit told Achrekar he was self-conscious being watched, so the coach agreed to watch from behind a tree. This time, Tendulkar played much better and was accepted into Achrekar’s academy. Achrekar advised him to transfer to Sharadashram Vidyamandir School in Dadar, which had produced many cricketers. He made his debut for that school in late 1984. Before that, he attended the Indian Education Society’s New English School in Bandra (East). He trained under Achrekar at Shivaji Park mornings and evenings. When exhausted, Achrekar would place a one-rupee coin on top of the stumps; the bowler who dismissed Tendulkar got the coin, but if Tendulkar survived the session, the coach gave it to him. Tendulkar considers the 13 coins he won among his most prized possessions. During training, he lived with his aunt and uncle near the park.

Besides school cricket, he played club cricket. In 1984, at age 11, he debuted in the Kanga Cricket League for John Bright Cricket Club. From 1988, he played for the Cricket Club of India. In 1987, at 14, he attended the MRF Pace Foundation in Madras to train as a fast bowler, but Australian coach Dennis Lillee suggested he focus on batting instead. On 20 January 1987, he was a substitute for Imran Khan’s team in an exhibition match at Brabourne Stadium. A few months later, former Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar gave him a pair of his own lightweight pads and encouraged him not to lose heart.