Sachin Tendulkar will become the first sportsperson to receive the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, the country’s government announced hours after the batting great’s 200th and final Test ended in Mumbai yesterday.
Cricket’s most prolific run-scorer bid an emotional farewell to the game at his home ground in Mumbai, ending a glittering 24-year career during which he bagged almost every batting record.
“Sachin Tendulkar is undoubtedly an outstanding cricketer — a living legend who has inspired millions across the globe,” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s office said in a statement. “During the last 24 years, since the young age of 16, Tendulkar has played cricket across the world and won laurels for our country.
“He has been a true ambassador of India in the world of sports. His achievements in cricket are unparalleled, the records set by him unmatched, and the spirit of sportsmanship displayed by him exemplary.
“That he has been honoured with several awards is testimony to his extraordinary brilliance as a sportsman.”
A perfect role model for the country’s youth and the sport worldwide with his impeccable image on and off the field, Tendulkar was nominated to the upper house of the Indian parliament last year.
Speculation about Tendulkar getting the award has been around for years, and peaked in 2011 when the eligibility criteria for the award was broadened.
Originally, the honour was for excellence in “art, literature, science and public services” but was amended to recognise “performance of highest order in any field of human endeavour”. In 2008, Tendulkar became the first sportsperson, along with chess grandmaster Viswanathan Anand, to receive the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian honour.
Tendulkar received the Arjuna Award (a national award for distinguished sports persons) in 1994, and in 1998 he received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, the country’s highest sporting honour. The next year, he was the recipient of the Padma Shri ( the fourth-highest civilian award).
Previous recipients of the Bharat Ratna include Nobel laureates Nelson Mandela and Mother Teresa.
