sanjeev
khelja|02-02-2025
Legendary Sachin Tendulkar gave a heartfelt speech at the BCCI Naman Awards on Saturday, February 1. Sachin spoke for more than 10 minutes while accepting the Col.
CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award, which had the audience in pin-drop silence.
Sachin went through the emotions as he took a glimpse through his career. He started with his debut tour of Pakistan, spoke about losing his father, dealing with multiple injuries, and then finally .
In case you missed it, here is everything that Sachin Tendulkar said during his speech at the Naman Awards in Mumbai:
Lesson in Time From Kapil Dev
In 1989, during my first tour to Pakistan, our bus used to leave at 9 am for practice. One day, I turned up late by a couple of minutes and then Kapil Paaji was sitting there and he called me 'Tendleya, is it 9 am, or is it past 9 am?' And since then, I have this habit of keeping my watch at least seven or eight minutes fast.
But going back to Pakistan, you know, it taught me a lot. A 16-year-old was not supposed to hear all those things. My vocabulary improved. I never thought that those kinds of words were used in Test cricket. I got to learn a lot.
Dedicating Century to Father
It started in 1999. During the World Cup, I lost my father. I came back to India for a couple of days for his funeral and that suddenly changed me overnight. I went back to play the World Cup to join the team. Life changed after that. I wanted my father to be around and to see a number of things that were to happen in my life. From that moment on, I started showing my bat to my father. So anything good that happened in my life, I would show that to my father first and celebrate with everyone.
No Bat Sponsorship
In the mid-90s, I played for 2 years without a bat contract, because they were alcohol and tobacco companies promoting heavily at that time, using bats as a medium to advertise. But all of us at home had taken this decision that I would not promote tobacco or alcohol. So that was one big decision in the mid-90s that we, as a family, took and for two years I played without a contract. When it comes to values, I feel that family was my backbone and my strength in my career.
Injury Struggles
I was actually like a Formula One car, you know. You only see a car on a track, but there is a big team working behind that. And for me to go on the field, there was a big team of doctors, physios, masseurs, trying to contribute in the best possible manner to get me on the field.
There were a number of challenges. In 1999, I nearly had a back surgery in Australia. But somehow, at the last moment, the surgeon said that we should not touch your back right now; we will wait and we will see. And from there on, tennis elbow, shoulder, bicep, a number of them happened, but the support staff was so positive and really helped me.
Having a doctor at home helped to guide me, to give me direction, that it was only a bend and not the end.
Saying Thank You to My Bat
Yesterday, I was hitting a few balls in the indoor nets. The sound was reverberating. I said thank you to my bat for giving me those incredible moments on the field. I consider myself very, very fortunate and lucky.
MS Dhoni's Surprise on His Retirement
I'm speechless when it comes to those moments; those moments are never planned. I think it's a story written from above. Honestly, when I look back, I really find it difficult to believe that all these things have happened in my life. I consider myself extremely lucky, and that last moment when the whole team was planning to do something for me and celebrate the ninth wicket, we celebrated that, and then MS Dhoni said, 'paaji aap thoda dur raho, hum kuch plan kar rahe hai,' and then the team gave me the guard of honour. They gave me that send-off and that is when you kind of realise that the end is near. 'Ki iske baad I will never walk out on the field as a current Indian player.' Very few people get to do this, very few people experience what all of you are experiencing.
Advice for Young Generation
I would say, without cricket, all of us wouldn't be sitting in this room. For me, it has been the ultimate gift of my life. We have bat and ball, and if there is no solid grip over that, or you start losing grip over the bat and ball, you kind of slowly start losing grip over your career also.
I should not be giving you advice and saying 'stay focused' or whatever, but there'll be distractions. Don't let them disrupt your career. Value everything that we have and look after your game. We all have managed; we did not have anything. It is important to value when we have everything and behave in the appropriate manner to take the game forward and the country's name forward. Like I said, you all are current cricketers; there is plenty of cricket left in you. Just go out, give your best, and make the most of this opportunity because you only realise once you've stopped playing cricket, where you were a few years ago. So, all the very best to you.