20 July,2019 08:31 AM IST | | PTI
Sachin Tendulkar after being inducted in the ICC Hall of Fame at London
Indian batting icon Sachin Tendulkar has been inducted into the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Hall of Fame alongside South African pace legend Allan Donald.
Tendulkar became the sixth Indian to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame, the previous bigwigs being Sunil Gavaskar, Bishan Singh Bedi, Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid.
Joining Tendulkar and Donald in the Hall of Fame was two-time World Cup-winning Australian woman cricketer Cathryn Fitzpatrick.
"It is an honour to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, which cherishes the contribution of cricketers over generations. They have all contributed to the growth and popularity of the game and I am happy to have done my bit," Tendulkar said at the induction ceremony held here on Thursday night.
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"He never expects anything from anybody, just wanted to give back to cricket"
He thanked his family and coach, who has supported him in his journey in international cricket for close to two and half decades. "I would like to thank all of those who were by my side over a long international career. My parents, brother Ajit and wife Anjali have been pillars of strength while I was lucky to have someone like coach Ramakant Achrekar as an early guide and mentor," the maestro said.
Tendulkar, the most prolific batsman in history, was inducted immediately after becoming eligible for induction, which requires that a player should have played his last international match at least five years before.
Tendulkar, who retired in 2013, tallied 15,921 runs in Tests and 18,426 in ODIs, both of which remain records. "I am also thankful to all my captains, fellow players and the BCCI and the MCA administrators over the years for their support and for making me enjoy the game so much and for so long. I thank the ICC for this appreciation of my cricket career and I am happy to note that cricket continues to grow with three popular formats."
Also read: Sachin Tendulkar heads into the ICC Hall of Fame
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