The game of cricket has had some players now and then who have redefined the game and Sachin Tendulkar, or the “God of Cricket”, is one of them. Players like the legendary Don Bradman, Wasim Akram, Brian Lara, Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan etc have played this game and left their mark when they retired. But has the thought of why none of them were ever given the title of “God of Cricket” crossed your mind? What makes Sachin Tendulkar different from these legendary players? Let us try to find answers to these questions.
Why is Sachin Called the “God of Cricket”?
Sachin Tendulkar is not called the “God of Cricket” only due to his exemplary records on the cricket field. His career spanned over 2 decades and this longevity is also a factor why he is called the “God of Cricket”. Let us go through his exceptional records for a while –
- He is the only cricketer to have represented his country in 200 test matches
- His test runs tally of 15,921 is still standing tall
- In 22 years and 91 days, he has the longest ODI career
- He donned the Indian ODI jersey in a total of 463 matches that still stands
- He still holds the record for scoring the highest number of ODI runs, i.e 18,426
- He played in 6 ODI world cups and aggregated 2278 runs which still is at the top of the list
- He holds the record for scoring the highest number of runs in a single world cup, i.e 673
- He has 51 test centuries and 49 ODI centuries respectively, the highest in each format
- He has also crossed the 50-run mark most times in both the ODI (96) and test (68) formats
- He is still the only player to have hit 5 test centuries before turning 20
- He is the first batsman to score a double century in a limited-overs game
- He is the only player who has scored more than 1000 test runs on 6 different calendar years
Some Famous Quotes on the “God of Cricket”
These are some of the famous quotes from renowned people from all across the globe that will give you a glimpse of why SR Tendulkar is called the “God of Cricket” –
Time Magazine – 2011
“When Sachin Tendulkar travelled to Pakistan to face one of the finest bowling attacks ever assembled in cricket, Michael Schumacher was yet to race an F1 car, Lance Armstrong had never been to the Tour de France, Diego Maradona was still the captain of a world champion Argentina team, Pete Sampras had never won a Grand Slam.
When Tendulkar embarked on a glorious career taming Imran and company, Roger Federer was a name unheard of; Lionel Messi was in his nappies, Usain Bolt was an unknown kid in the Jamaican backwaters. The Berlin Wall was still intact, USSR was one big, big country, Dr Manmohan Singh was yet to “open” the Nehruvian economy.
It seems while Time was having its toll on every individual on the face of this planet, he excused one man. Time stands frozen in front of Sachin Tendulkar. We have had champions, we have had legends, but we have never had another Sachin Tendulkar and we never will.”
Sir Donald Bradman
“I saw him (Sachin) playing on television and was struck by his technique, so I asked my wife to come to look at him. Now I never saw myself play, but I feel that this player is playing much the same as I used to play, and she looked at him on television and said yes, there is a similarity between the two…his compactness, technique, stroke production… it all seemed to gel”
Brian Charles Lara
“The only batsman I would love to see by paying for the tickets and sitting in the stand just to watch him is none other than Sachin Tendulkar” and “Sachin is a genius. I’m a mere mortal”
Former United States President Barack Obama
“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.”
Virat Kohli
“I don’t believe in comparisons (with Sachin Tendulkar) because I feel it is an injustice. You are comparing me with the person who inspired me to pick up the bat when I was a kid. I am nowhere near his skill levels. He is the most complete batsman ever. I maintain my stance on the comparisons made between me and him (Sachin) are not fair to him”.
Sachin has inspired so many in the past to choose the game of cricket and will continue to do so in the future. With the number of matches played these days, it might be possible that a “once-in-a-generation” player might turn up and smash a few of his records. But that seems a far-fetched idea at this moment. No matter what, Sachin is and will always remain the “God of Cricket”.
