The Man Cricket Loved Back

Born in Mumbai in 1973, Sachin Tendulkar is widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest cricketers. Renowned for his incredible batting skills and his penchant for record-breaking one-day scoring, Sachin Tendulkar’s immense success in cricket is unmatched by other international players, making him a true star for the sport.

As a young child, Sachin Tendulkar grew up in Mumbai. His parents were relatively modest and middle class, offering Sachin Tendulkar reasonable educational options and a potentially bright future. However, Sachin Tendulkar took his education as an obligation instead of as an opportunity, and was known as a bully in his early years.

Driven by his idol, tennis star John McEnroe, Sachin started fights with students at his school, eventually becoming known amongst the staff as a troublemaker with a limited educational future. Noticing his mischievous attitude and endless energy, a half-brother of Sachin called Ajit introduced him to cricket in his adolescent years.

While he viewed schoolwork as a nuisance and academics as a waste of time, young Sachin Tendulkar immediately took an interest to cricket. He practiced endlessly as a batsman, both on his own and with his friends. His skills caught the attention of a well-known local cricket coach in Mumbai called Ramakant Achrekar.

Ramakant immediately noticed Sachin’s talent, and recommended that he move to a new high school with a more advanced cricket program. Sachin followed his advice, moving to the new school shortly after. Here, he finally found a group of players that had the drive and ability to challenge him and help him improve his skills further.

Sachin devoted his life to cricket with an intensity level and drive that few would ever match. He would spend hours in the training grounds after school, creating a betting system with his fellow players to keep himself motivated. He would place one rupee on the top of the stumps, and challenge players to bowl him out.

If he was bowled out, the players would keep the one rupee. However, if he could survive for the entire training session, he would keep it. Sachin’s betting strategy worked well, and by the end of his training sessions at the school he left with over thirteen coins, confirming his abilities as a skilled and motivated batsman.

Tendulkar entered the ranks of professional cricket in the late 1980s, batting as a player for India against Pakistan and New Zealand. Aged just sixteen, he continued to take part in international cricket matches during his late teens, rising up through the ranks of Indian cricket to become a star in his early twenties.

It was during his early twenties that Sachin Tendulkar emerged as one of India’s top cricket talents. He scored his first century in a one-day match aged 21, batting as one of India’s top batsman against Australia. His batting career culminated in 1998 when he scored a record-breaking three centuries during a single tour against Australia.

Sachin Tendulkar continued to play for India for over a decade, taking part in games from the late 1990s up until 2012. He set numerous run records throughout his long career as a batsman, emerging in the minds of many sports commentators as one of the leading batsman of the entire cricket world and a record-breaking player. 

Self Confidence : Such a long journey was not possible without confidence. I remember the semifinal match against South Africa in 1993, 6 run was required in 6 ball, a very easy task for any team. None of the regular bowlers were confident enough to bowl this last over, I still remember the long discussion between Azhar, Kapil, Jadeja and Srinath. Finally Sachin snatched the ball from hand of his captain and bowled the last over, just 3 runs were scored in that over and India registered a historic win. It was his self confidence which gave him courage to take the challenge where seasoned bowlers were not confident. No one can be successful without taking tough decisions and risks in his life, and such things happens only if you have confidence.

Commitment : He really is the current generation’s most inspirational player. At age 40, he is playing Test cricket and it is still quite palpable. His commitment towards the game is amazing, in his words – “hard work, commitment key to earn respect from others”. He never miss practice sessions, always involved in the game at all levels and his schoolboy-like enthusiasm for the game is something many players envy and admire. Commitment towards the work or relationship is the most important factor for success. Many people are talented but those who are committed towards the excellence, get the taste of success.

Self Discipline : Many talent came and gone in these 24 years but this star was shining and still shining. Self discipline in the field and out of the field helped Sachin in the smooth success ride of 24 years. Once former India captain Kapil Dev said that ”it was discipline that separated Sachin Tendulkar from his childhood friend Vinod Kambli who did not success in international cricket like the former did.” Most of the people are not able to easily digest the success and they become undisciplined towards their responsibilities in their core work, society and goals…….this is most fatal for success.  Maintain self discipline in all part of your life, if want to succeed like Sachin. Remember, the tougher you are on yourself, the easier life will be on you.

Simplicity is key : There are many great sportsman in this world but one main characteristic which differentiate him from all other champions is his simplicity and humble nature. All his arch rivals too never forget to praise him for his humble nature and simplicity. This quality takes him to greatness. “The commitment he as shown all these years is incredible, the amazing fact is that he has been the same humble boy even after achieving so much” – Arjun Ranatunga.  Great people and leaders are always polite and humble.

Maintain concentration : His concentration during the innings was amazing and this quality helped him to play long innings, in developing different kind of strokes and making specific strategies against the each bowlers. If you want to do things exceptionally well then you have to master your concentration towards that job.

Due to his unique playing style and immense success, Sachin Tendulkar has become one of the leading cricket influences for young players. His minimalistic attitude as a batsman, in which he intentionally limits his movements and avoids showing off his skills, has resulted in comparisons between Tendulkar and Sir Donald Bradman.

Widely regarded as one of the world’s finest cricket players, Sachin Tendulkar is an incredible influence for young people looking to find their path in life. A success as a teenager and a true legend by his mid-twenties, Sachin Tendulkar turned around his life after being an unfocused, confused bully during his early teens and childhood.

Thanks to the guidance of his coaches and his own incredible work ethic, Tendulkar emerged as one of the cricket world’s true stars. Take his focus and attitude to heart and you can find your own success, whether it’s on the batting crease, in a business environment, or even in the arts.