BCCI To Honour Sachin Tendulkar With Lifetime Achievement Award

The legendary Sachin Tendulkar, whose batting records and impact on international cricket have stood the test of time, will be conferred with the BCCI'S Lifetime Achievement Award at the Board's annual gala here on Saturday.

The 51-year-old Tendulkar, who played 664 international games for India, holds the record for the highest number of Test and ODI runs in the history of the game.

"Yes, he will be the recipient of the C K Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award for the year 2024," a Board source told PTI.

Tendulkar's 200 Test and 463 ODI appearances are also the highest by any player in the history of the game. He amassed 15,921 Test runs besides a whopping 18,426 in ODIs. However, he played only one T20 International in his stellar career.

In 2023, the lifetime honour was bestowed on former India head coach Ravi Shastri and wicket-keeping great Farokh Engineer. Considered the greatest batter of his era, Tendulkar was not just a prolific run-scorer but also an icon of the game, who played for more than two decades after debuting as a 16-year-old in a 1989 Test against Pakistan.

The well-documented and numerous batting records apart, Tendulkar was also a key member of India's 2011 World Cup-winning team, which was his record sixth and last appearance in the showpiece.

At his peak, the diminutive right-hander could bring the nation to a standstill by simply walking out to bat. His dismissal was the most sought after among opposition teams, who did not hesitate to say that Tendulkar was the only Indian batter who could intimidate them.

Overall, Tendulkar will be the 31st recipient of the award, which was instituted in 1994 in the honour of India's first captain Col. C K Nayudu, who also served the game as an administrator. Nayudu had a 47-year-long first-class career between 1916 and 1963, which is a world record.