Sachin Tendulkar @sachin_rt
One of the most decorated cricketers in the history of the game, Sachin Tendulkar played in six World Cups (1992-2011). He is the most successful batsman in ICC’s pinnacle event with 2,278 runs in 45 matches, including 482 runs in nine matches in India’s successful campaign in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. He is the leading run-getter in ODIs with 18,426 runs in 463matches.Tendulkar was the player of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 when India finished
runner-up to Australia.
Sachin Tendulkar writes the first of his exclusive columns in his role as ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Ambassador as he looks back over a stunning World Cup career that spanned over two decades and six tournaments from 1992 to 2011.
On June 25, 1983, the Indian cricket team had won the ICC Cricket World Cup 1983 and images of the team holding the cup was an inspirational moment for the nation.
I was just 10-year-old and have fond memories of that victory. I also celebrated the victory till late in the night on that day with due permission from my parents. I was also inspired to take up playing the game with the season (hard) ball after the World Cup victory.
My first ‘live’ piece of World Cup action was during the 1987 edition, which was played in India. I was fortunate to be among the volunteers to be picked as a ball boy for the matches played in Mumbai. As I stood there watching the Indian greats on the field, I kept telling myself that I need to be a part of the action in the middle.
In 1992, I made my maiden appearance in an ICC Cricket World Cup match against England in Perth. This edition was different as it was the first time that coloured player clothing, white cricket balls and black sightscreens were introduced in ICC’s pinnacle event with a number of matches being played under floodlights.
I did not have an exceptional match, going wicketless in my 10 overs and scoring 35 runs, including sharing a 63-run stand with Ravi Shastri. We fell short of the target by nine runs.
India failed to qualify for the knock-out stage with the only consolation being in defeating Pakistan, the eventual champion in a match where I also received my first man of the match in ICC Cricket World Cup.
The ICC Cricket World Cup 1996 was special as it was jointly hosted in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. My dismissal in the semi-final against Sri Lanka rankled me for a long time as it was the start of a batting collapse, which brought an end to the Indian campaign.
I scored my first century in an ICC Cricket World Cup during this edition and also scored another one against Sri Lanka, the eventual champions, during the league stages.
The highs experienced during the league stages came crashing down and we were left to enjoy the brilliant batting of Aravinda de Silva and his partnership with Arjuna Ranatunga on the television set as Sri Lanka went on to win their first World Cup defeating Australia.
The ICC Cricket World Cup 1999 was a difficult tournament for me personally as I had to cope with the loss of my father in the midst of the tournament. It was very difficult as I tried to focus on the game in spite of my grief.
The ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 was the closest I had come, till then, to lift the coveted trophy.
The entire team had been playing well and we were extremely charged up to take on Australia in the final. A little too charged up as we realised losing the final by a big margin! I had a memorable tournament scoring 673 runs in 11 matches – the most by any batsman in a single edition of the World Cup. The player of the tournament award I received was little consolation for ending up as the second best.
The most forgettable ICC Cricket World Cup for me has to be 2007 edition in the West Indies. The early exit from the tournament ranks among the worst moments of my cricketing career. We had a fantastic team but it was not to be! My pursuit to be a part of the World Cup winning team continued.
The disappointment in the tournament served as a boost to prove many ‘naysayers’wrong.
I remember in 2009, I spoke to the media about looking forward to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 and ‘being able to achieve what we want to achieve’. As the tournament progressed, we did worry our fans in the league stage with our performance but started getting our momentum as we entered the quarter-finals.
Beating top sides like Australia, Pakistan and eventually overcoming Sri Lanka in the final, India emerged as the first nation to win the ICC Cricket World Cup on its home soil. It was even more special as I had finally been part of the World Cup winning team after 22 years of pursuit.
The victory in 2011 was the highest point of my career as a nation unified in its celebrations.
The Indian team’s preparation to defend the title in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 began some time ago and I look forward to returning to the World Cup as an ICC Ambassador.
2014 © ICC Development (International) Limited
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