Legendary India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was conferred with the C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday (Feb 1). Having served Indian cricket for over two decades, Tendulkar received the honour in a special ceremony held in Mumbai. The occasion also saw Ravichandran Ashwin being honoured with BCCI’s Special Award having called time on his illustrious career in December 2024 during the Australia tour.

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Tendulkar conferred with Lifetime Achievement Award

In a special programme, the BCCI honoured its top athletes, including former cricketers who had served the nation. During his illustrious career, Tendulkar scored over 33,000 runs in 664 matches and won several honours, including the ODI World Cup in 2011.

“Thank you all for coming. I cannot thank BCCI enough. They have always been supportive. Truly humbled to have my name in the list of awardees.”

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“Ashwin called me Mr. Tendulkar. Thanks Ash for making me realise my age.”

“In 1989, I was late for the bus a couple of times. Kapil Paaji asked me, is it right time, or are you late? Since then, I have kept my watch 7-8 minutes ahead of time.”

“When I went to Pakistan, I learnt of lot of language (laughs). Then I went to Australia, the language was different, but the intensity was the same,” Tendulkar said in his speech.

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Tendulkar made his debut for India in 1989 against Pakistan and was dismissed for a duck. However, he did not hold back and went on to become the greatest player of his generation. While he lost the 2003 ODI World Cup final to Australia, eight years later he would help India win the same tournament in his own backyard.

On the other hand, Ashwin was also honoured for his illustrious career, who like Sachin was part of the 2011 ODI World Cup winning squad. After Anil Kumble he was India’s best Test bowler with 537 wickets in 106 matches.