Watch: Sachin Tendulkar's Inspiring Speech After Winning Prestigious Laureus Sporting Moment Award

And, yeah, the God of Cricket Sachin Tendulkar won the prestigious Laureus Sporting Moment award after being the most-voted moment by the fans. He was in the nominations for the moment when the youngsters in the Indian team carried Sachin Tendulkar on their shoulders after the conclusion of ICC World Cup 2011 final against Sri Lanka.

Back then, the moment was special for Indians, as the entire country waited to get the coveted trophy back to India and wanted to end Tendulkar’s World Cup career on a positive note. As a mark of respect for his service, the youngsters in the team lifted him on the shoulders in the winning march at iconic Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.

Arguably the greatest cricketer to have played the game, Tendulkar lifted the World Cup in 2011, where India scripted history by becoming the first team to win cricket’s biggest extravaganza as hosts.

There was a sea of emotions all across the cricket-obsessed country as one of its favourite cricketers finally got an opportunity to lay his hands on the prestigious trophy.

Speaking after collecting the trophy from former Australia captain Steve Waugh at the Laureus Awards, Tendulkar said: ”To be holding this trophy, I would like to thank the Laureus Academy members for giving this memory to me, I think this is really special. And also, the people who voted and felt that the moment we saw on the screen was worth voting for. I would like to thank them.”

”With everyone celebrating Laureus’ 20th anniversary, it’s simply incredible what the academy has been able to achieve in the last 20 years and how it has impacted so many lives through various mediums – sport, gender equality, education, so many things. It’s truly incredible. And I hope it continues the way it has for the last 20 years and we impact many more lives,” he added.

We experienced the power of sport: Sachin Tendulkar

Meanwhile, Steve Waugh asked the Idol of the Indian Cricket to explain about the feeling of the fans, who have waited for a long time. Replying to  Waugh, Tendulkar replied saying that it was an incredible moment for all the Indians. He explained how all the people in the country celebrated the victory without any difference in religions and races. Tendulkar calls it an amazing feeling.

”I think it’s simply incredible, beyond words that I can express. How many times do you get an event happening where there are no mixed views or mixed opinions? Very rarely, does the entire country celebrate? Very rarely, there are no various opinions – everyone sits together and they celebrate. This is a reminder again of how powerful sport is and what magic it does to all our lives. We experienced the power of sport and that has stayed with me, even now when I watch that moment, pretty amazing,” Tendulkar maintained.

Emotions after winning the World Cup in the final attempt: Sachin Tendulkar

Following Waugh, Boris Becker asked about the emotional feeling of Tendulkar, who won the cup in his final attempt.

Speaking of the same, Tendulkar explained how he started his career and his feeling when India won the world cup in 1983 under the captaincy of Kapil Dev.

”My journey started in 1983 when I was only 10 years old. Why I say 1983, to the guys who don’t follow cricket, India won the World Cup in 1983. At the age of 10, I didn’t understand the significance of winning that trophy. Because everyone was celebrating, I joined the party. But somewhere I knew something special had happened to our country and I wanted to experience that one day, and that’s where my journey began,” Tendulkar stated.

I never gave up, I never lost hope: Sachin Tendulkar

Tendulkar added that he wants to be part of it one day, which he managed to do in his twilight stages. He also expressed how destiny played a role to lift the trophy and made him stand at the Laureus Sporting event. He thanked every individual for making it possible.

”With the trophy in my find, we saw in the image – there’s a tricolour in my hand, which obviously was the proudest moment of my life and also holding that beautiful trophy – which I chased for 22 years. The only good thing, I never gave up, I never lost hope. I was nearly lifting that trophy on behalf of my countrymen, India – that has given me a lot of satisfaction, the 24 years that I played cricket for India has been a dream come true for me, I could not have asked for anything more,” he further said.

”But there’s also something which hasn’t changed since then. Holding this trophy has also given me the honour to be here, to represent my nation. I feel extremely proud to be holding this trophy, on behalf of all the Indians and all the people who have supported Indian cricket,” he added.

Nelson Mandela quote:

Tendulkar concluded his speech with inspiring lines of Nelson Mandela, who said to him when he was at the age of 19 years. He revealed that Nelson Mandela always believed in sport, which can unite the people across the world. He thanked all the legendary persons for inspiring a new generation to go after their dreams.

”Something, I would like to say at this point. I had the honour of meeting the great man in South Africa, President Nelson Mandela, when I was only 19. His hardship did not affect leadership. Out of the many big messages that he left behind with us, the most important I felt was – sport has got the power to unite, to unify everyone.”

”Today sitting in this room, with so many great athletes, some of them did not have the best of everything, but they made the best of everything they had and they have gone on to become champion athletes. I want to thank all of them for inspiring youngsters to pick up a sport of their choice and chase their dream. Today, I feel, this trophy belongs to all of us for inspiring youngsters and it’s not just about me. So thank you very much. It’s truly humbling to be here. Have a good evening,” he concluded.

"This is a reminder of how powerful sport is and what magic it does to all of our lives."

A God for a nation. An inspiration worldwide.

And an incredible speech from the Laureus Sporting Moment 2000 – 2020 winner, the great @sachin_rt ??#Laureus20 #SportUnitesUs pic.twitter.com/dLrLA1GYQS

— Laureus (@LaureusSport) February 17, 2020