Sachin Tendulkar Inducted Into ICC Hall Of Fame

Legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar has been inducted into the ICC Hall Of Fame. The former India opener along with South Africa’s Allan Donald and Australia’s Cathryn Fitzpatrick were inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame on Thursday at a ceremony in London. Sachin Tendulkar became the sixth Indian batsmen to be given the honour.

He was inducted soon after he became eligible for induction. ICC guidelines dictate that a player be internationally retired for at least five years. Tendulkar played his last Test match in November 2013. He made his India debut aged 16 and soon became the batting mainstay of the team. By the time he retired from ODIs and Tests, he was the most decorated batsmen in the history of the game.

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He scored a staggering 34,357 runs across formats, more than 6,000 ahead of the second-placed Kumar Sangakkara. In terms of centuries, he hit 100 and is  29 clear of the next on the list, Ricky Ponting. In ODIs, he has hit 49 tons while in Tests, he has scored 51 tons. In 2011, he helped India win their second World Cup.

“On this occasion, 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,” Sachin Tendulkar said.

Donald, on the other hand, picked 330 wickets in Tests and 272 in ODIs. The former pacer played his last international match in February 2003. Fitzpatrick became the eighth woman to win the prestigious award. She helped Australia win two ICC Women’s Cricket World Cups, and also finished with 60 wickets in 13 Tests. She ended her career with a record 180 wickets in 109 matches.

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