Mumbai: Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has spoken about his two batting idols he followed while he was growing up. The former Indian batsman said that even though there were quite a few players he looked up to, but none was greater than former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar and West Indies great Viv Richards. He described about how he gained inspiration and motivation from the two cricketers and hoped to play one day for the country.
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“I would say that when I was playing cricket or when I was of your age (young), I wanted to become a cricketer and going ahead wanted to play for my country,” Tendulkar said while speaking during the virtual ceremony ‘Gift of Life’ after 1,000 children went through free heart surgeries represented by the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospital, Naya Raipur of Chhattisgarh since the COVID-19 pandemic began in the country.
“I had two heroes – one is our own Sunil Gavaskar, who played for India for several years and performed well, he was my batting hero. Along with him, it was Viv Richards of the West Indies. These were my batting heroes when I played cricket.”
Apart from cricket, Tendulkar said his biggest inspiration was his father Ramesh Tendulkar. “But generally, in life, then I would say that my hero was my father (Ramesh Tendulkar). So much time I spent with him and he was mild, calm and composed, he was a man with good nature. So, it is my dream that I become like him. I will say that my father was my hero in my life,” the Master Blaster added.
The Little Master also praised the work done by the hospital and said children are our treasure. “I would say by doing this noble work, you are not just giving our children the opportunity to lead a healthy life, you are also giving them an opportunity to dream big and chase their dreams. You are also giving them a chance to create a positive impact, not just on their lives, but also on the people around them,” he signed off.
