Despite retiring from cricket 10 years ago. Sachin Tendulkar remains a top draw amongst India’s advertisers as the cricket legend still endorses 15 brands including Apollo Tyres, ITCs Savlon, JioCinema, Spinny, and Ageas Federal Life Insurance.
Despite the belief that cricketers have a shorter shelf life for endorsements compared to Bollywood stars, Tendulkar’s brand endorsement value is valued at $73.6 million, according to Kroll’s Celebrity Brand Valuation Report for 2022. According to industry sources, he charges ₹7-8 crore per year for an endorsement deal.
But Tendulkar, who celebrated his 50th birthday on Monday (Apri1 24), is least bothered about these valuation numbers. “I don’t think so much into these things – I just try to be myself,” he told ET. After working with third-party sports management companies, Sachin and his wife Anjali have now set up SRT Sports Management, a company that manages all his social and commercial partnerships.
“By creating my own setup, I am able to have a deeper and better connection with all the partners I work with. The team at SRTSM understands my value systems and works with partners towards creating win-win partnerships,” he said.
Sachin has always been very careful when selecting the brands that he wants to associate with. The lens he has used to select endorsements has always been about the brand’s impact on people’s lives, followed by the vision and purpose the company lives by.
“I look at authenticity Whatever is being said in communication, should also be done to fulfill that promise. That is how one can win the trust of people. Finally, it is teamwork, and therefore the comfort of working with the partner is very important,” he stated.
Sameer Satpathy Divisional Chief Executive, Personal Care Products Business, ITC, said Sachin is a generational icon whose persona extends beyond cricket. “He vibes well with every generation, especially children, and is revered globally,” he added.
“Sachin was personally invested in every aspect of the Savlon Swarth India Mission as its Hand ambassador.” For Spinny Founder & CEO Nirai Singh, Sachin will always be an Icon of integrity and consistently perform at the highest level. “Now, even at 50, Sachin is a personality who’s stayed true to himself, he’s as much a mature gentleman as much as he embraces a child-like charm,” he added.
He added that Spinny’s association with the cricketing legend has helped the brand to tell Its story, and vision effectively. Vighnesh Shahane, CEO & managing director, Ageas Federal Life Insurance, noted that the company has gone from being the 17th largest insurance firm in India before signing up Sachin to entering the top 10 after it teamed up with the cricketing maestro in 2015.
‘Over the last eight years, there are so many qualities of Sachin that have rubbed on positively to the brand,” he said.
To commemorate Sachin’s 50th birthday, brands like Amul, Spinny, Tanishq, Apollo, and Ageas Federal Life Insurance have planned consumer connect initiatives across mediums. Tanishq has created a curated range of 100 solitaires to celebrate his 50th birthday. Ageas Life Insurance has sponsored a documentary and a book titled SRT@50. As part of its brand activation, Spinny has recreated Sachin’s first car which has been stationed in Mumbai’s Band Stand area on April 23 and 24.
Amul has created a video montage featuring its past 50 ads that capture Sachin’s cricketing journey. Meta India organised a session with Sachin at its Mumbai office which was attended by 50 content creators. Even At 50, Brand Sachin has taken a fresh guard in the hyper-competitive world of brand endorsements.
The unveiling also took place 30 years after Mr. Lara made his famous innings of 277 against Australia at the SCG in 1993 and the West Indies great was thrilled to receive the honour.
The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Monday used legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar’s 50th birthday celebrations to unveil gates at the iconic Australia venue that are named after the India legend and fellow cricketing great Brian Lara from West Indies.
All visiting players will now take the field through the newly-named Lara-Tendulkar Gates, with the duo bestowed with the honour on Monday to coincide with Mr. Tendulkar’s 50th birthday.
Mr. Tendulkar’s first Test century on Australia shores came at the picturesque Sydney venue and the champion right-hander averaged a whopping 157 from five Test matches at the ground. In 13 international matches at SCG, Mr. Tendulkar has scored 1,100 runs at an average of 100, with four centuries and four fifties and the best score of 241*.
Behind West Indies’ Viv Richards (1,134 runs) and Desmond Haynes (1,181 runs), he is the third-highest run-scorer at the venue among non-Australian players. Mr. Tendulkar loves playing in Australia and numbers prove it. In his 67 international matches there, Tendulkar scored 3,300 runs at an average of 42.85. He scored seven centuries and 17 half-centuries in the country, with the best score of 241*.
Mr. Tendulkar is the fifth-highest non-Australia run-scorer in Australia, behind Brian Lara (3,370 runs), Virat Kohli (3,426 runs), West Indies duo of Desmond Haynes (4,238 runs) and Viv Richards (4,529 runs).
“The Sydney Cricket Ground has been my favourite ground away from India,” Mr. Tendulkar said as quoted by ICC. “I have had some great memories at the SCG right from my first tour of Australia in 1991-92. It is a great honour to have the gates used by all visiting cricketers to access the field of play at the SCG named after me and my good friend Brian. I would like to thank the team at SCG and Cricket Australia for this kind gesture. I look forward to visiting the SCG soon,” added Mr. Tendulkar.
The unveiling also took place 30 years after Lara made his famous innings of 277 against Australia at the SCG in 1993 and the West Indies great was thrilled to receive the honour.
“I am deeply honoured to be recognised at the Sydney Cricket Ground, as I am sure Sachin is. The ground holds many special memories for me and my family and I always enjoy visiting whenever I am in Australia,” said Mr. Lara, who has sensational figures of 3,370 runs in 71 international matches in Australia at an average of 41.09 and eight centuries and 19 half-centuries to his name in the country. Lara has also played 13 matches at SCG, in which he has scored 654 runs in 16 innings at an average of 43.60 with two centuries and a fifty.
The West Stand at the iconic Sharjah stadium has been renamed the ‘Sachin Tendulkar Stand.’
An iconic Sharjah cricket stadium stand has been renamed after Sachin Tendulkar in a special ceremony in the UAE, honouring the Indian cricket legend on his 50th birthday on April 24.
The West Stand at the iconic stadium has been renamed the ‘Sachin Tendulkar Stand.’ A special ceremony held on Monday marked the naming of the stand incidentally around the time the master blaster celebrated his 50th birthday.
Not only does it coincide with the Indian batting legend’s birthday, but also with the 25th anniversary of his ‘Desert Storm’ back-to-back centuries against Australia in 1998 to a packed stadium.
The 143 he scored on April 22 and 134 two days later in the final of the Coca-Cola Cup, a triangular series between India, Australia and New Zealand, has been recorded in the books as a veritable ‘Desert Storm’.
Tendulkar scored 49 hundred in ODIs played across 34 stadiums.
However, his 7 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, including the twin hundreds in April 1998, are lauded and celebrated by his fans around the world to this day.
Reacting to the news of naming the stand Sachin said in a message, “I wish I was there but unfortunately I had prior commitments. Playing in Sharjah has always been a magnificent experience. From the electrifying atmosphere to the love, affection and support, Sharjah has been a special venue for Indian cricket fans and lovers of the game from around the globe,” he said.
“A big thank you to Bukhatir and his team for this kind gesture on the 25th anniversary of the Desert Storm match and my 50th birthday. Feels like the greatest 6 of them all,” he is quoted to have said.
Sharjah Cricket Stadium holds the Guinness record for most One-Day internationals played (244), including some of the most memorable moments in cricketing history.
CEO of the Sharjah Stadium, Khalaf Bukhatir said this is our small way of expressing our gratitude to Sachin for doing so much for the game of cricket.
“Indeed, that was an incredible inning, and it was repeated in the finals. Right through the years of the now legendary CBFS initiative we have striven here at Sharjah to acknowledge the services of many great players even after their retirement,” Bukhatir said.
“We believe that as administrators it is our duty to pay tribute to those who have raised the bar and dedicated their lives to the cause of cricket, and we will continue to do so,” he said.
Also, honouring Sachin on his 50th birthday, a gate named after him was unveiled at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney on Monday.
Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar has emerged as the top sports celebrity followed by Virat Kohli and M.S Dhoni in the Brand Endorser Report 2022 prepared by Hansa Research, claimed to be the largest Indian consumer insights provider.
Brand Endorser is a comprehensive report of intensive research conducted across 36 Indian cities.
As per the syndicated study, Sachin Tendulkar is the most recognised celebrity in the sports category with a recognition score of 84%. He is perceived to be popular, likable, global personality, confident, aspirational, fit, trustworthy, and relatable along with a huge fan following including a social media followers base. These factors make him a compelling brand ambassador for a range of products, the organisation said in a release on Monday.
Commenting on the significance of the report, Ashish Karnad, Executive Vice President, Hansa Research said, “Our study Brand Endorser is a holistic and comprehensive assessment of the value that an endorser brings to a brand. The study aids marketers to take informed decisions and improve the overall return of investment (ROI) in celebrity engagement.”
He further added, “Sachin Tendulkar is perceived as a humble star known for sincerity, loyalty and self-discipline. The brands acknowledge these traits and recognize that the audience will choose a product endorsed by an honest celebrity. This stands as a key reason for Sachin Tendulkar to remain as the most preferred celebrity under sports category for endorsements.”
According to the Brand Endorser report, Sachin Tendulkar has surpassed some of the popular sports celebrities including Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul, etc. Another interesting finding reveals that Sania Mirza is the only female sportsperson to be ranked in the top 10 list under the sports category.
The celebrities are ranked as per the Brand Endorser (BE) Score results. They are tracked on various metrics like likability, social media influence, perception, marketing potential, recognition, etc. which make up their final BE Score.
As per the study, Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan topped the overall list as the most recognised celebrity in the country with a very high All India Rank.
Hansa Research’s Brand Endorser Report covered more than 550 celebrities across domains in the country. For this study, the research was conducted amongst 5100 respondents across 36 cities in the country, the release said.
Leveraging on his personal values as a cricketer, the master blaster continues to flourish as a covetable brand five years after his retirement
Give Sachin Tendulkar a bat and you can’t tell that he hasn’t held it for the past five years. At least not in the way we’ve known him to. Even now, as he plays a mock hook for the photographer, he knows precisely when the blade will be low enough to expose his eyes to the camera. “Three, two, one,” he counts down, as he swivels, just like he would have done to Australian pacer Glenn McGrath. The camera shutter might lag for a fraction of a second, but Tendulkar doesn’t. It is enough to know why this 45-year-old owns the benchmarks of cricketing excellence.
Milestones like a hundred international centuries, the first double century in One Day Internationals (ODIs), and the highest runs in Tests as well as ODIs have given him an equity that is as timeless as Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci’s perfect 10 score, and one that extends beyond the boundary lines. Over 24 years, they have hiseled the transformation of a diffident boy-next-door—at 16, he had folded up his first TV interview with Tom Alter with a few one-liners—into Indian sport’s most visible brand.
Through Tendulkar came cricketing perestroika in 1995, when celebrity agent Mark Mascarenhas signed him up for a five-year contract valued at ₹30 crore, making him the world’s richest cricketer. In 2001, as revenues, broadcast fees and player salaries exploded, Mascarenhas amped it up to ₹100 crore. Neither Tendulkar nor Indian cricket has looked back since.
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It’s been five years since the Master Blaster’s swansong at Mumbai’s Wankhede. But with earnings of ₹80 crore in 2017-18 from 17 brands, Tendulkar is the only retiree to feature in Forbes India’s Celebrity 100, despite not taking either to commentary, like his peers Sourav Ganguly or VVS Laxman, or coaching, like Rahul Dravid. [Tendulkar is an icon player for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.] At No 9 on the list, he commands an endorsement fee of around ₹8-10 crore per year for about 2-3 days of engagement, third only to Team India captain Virat Kohli’s and former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s per day fees of ₹4.5 crore and ₹4 crore, respectively.
While Kohli’s on-field form since 2016 may have cast a shadow on Tendulkar’s cricketing records, the latter’s retentive aura has elevated him to the stature of a statesman who lends credibility to everything he touches. Santosh Desai, a veteran marketing professional and the MD and CEO of Futurebrands, says, “Sachin’s aura can perhaps be compared to Amitabh Bachchan’s. He isn’t there yet, but represents the same idea of someone who transcends his arena of achievement and becomes a repository of trust outside of it.” Translated to brand endorsements, it embodies a universal appeal cutting across products and target groups.
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With reduced proximity to the message that it represents, the value of a brand wanes over time. For Tendulkar, it would mean that his image as a world-beater would weaken with every passing year of his retirement. But, according to data from SRT Sports Management (SRTSM), the company founded by the cricketer and wife Anjali in 2016 to represent him, Tendulkar’s revenues from brand associations are estimated to rise 2.3x in 2018-19, from 2014-15, the year after he retired, despite a dip in the number of endorsements. During this period, his per brand revenue will have quadrupled.
CLICK HERE to view the 2018 Forbes India Celebrity 100 list
“Sachin as a brand will generate value for many decades. He holds so many records that every time a public discourse refers to any of these, his name will appear and earn him a few new followers,” says Arvind Sharma, ex-chairman and CEO, Leo Burnett. “However, beyond records, Sachin’s brand has been rooted in a special bond. He represented the hope of India winning as long as he was on the field. With the Indian team routinely winning in all formats, this bond has been losing its special meaning. If his revenues are going up, I would credit this to smarter management strategies to plug revenue leakage rather than to improving brand equity.”
If it is indeed astute management at play, Tendulkar can feel vindicated about setting up SRTSM, bringing together seasoned managers to chart the growth trajectory of his second innings. At a time when he could have continued to be represented by an external agency, he decided to start his own company to transform ‘Brand Sachin’ into ‘Enterprise Sachin’. “While I was playing, I never focussed on anything else. Now that I have some more time, I want to have my own organisation that would reflect my values,” he says.
While the easy part was doing the maths of whether to pay a percentage of his income as commission to an agency or channel it towards SRTSM, the tough question was: How do you enhance the value of a brand that is already larger than life? Mrinmoy Mukherjee, a marketing professional with over two decades of experience, was thrown the challenge as he came on board as director and CEO. “Commercially, if you just look at endorsements, you can lock brands for two-, three- or five-year periods. They are finite in nature. If you can create value through building businesses and brands, and ensure cash flows through equity, joint ventures and royalty, you can sustain it over a long time. Rather than look at here-and-now, we decided to explore channels of legacy-creation,” says Mukherjee. Just like basketball legend Michael Jordan did to reportedly earn over $100 million in royalties alone from Nike, nearly 15 years after his retirement.
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To ensure continuity between his two innings, the edifice of Tendulkar Inc had to be representative of the values he stood for on the field: Excellence and hard work, yes, but also honesty and transparency, the kind that propelled him to walk off against the West Indies in the 2011 World Cup after the umpire failed to detect an edge caught by the keeper.
World over, such soft values have been the cornerstone of commercial appeal. A case in point would be US golfer Arnold Palmer who, according to Forbes, was the second-highest earning deceased celebrity in 2017, after Michael Jackson, notching $40 million a year after his death. In a survey conducted by E-Poll in 2011, in which athletes and other high-profile individuals were ranked on 46 attributes, being sincere and trustworthy among others, Palmer scored 95, the highest for a golfer, ahead of Jack Nicklaus who won 11 majors more than him.
For Tendulkar too, SRTSM benchmarked brands against their commercial potential and values. “We decided to rationalise our portfolio on the key criteria of brand value, social relevance and commercial appeal. Brands would continue to stay basis these,” says Mukherjee. The team decided to go deep instead of wide, with a handful of brands that would give them more salience. Accordingly, Tendulkar’s brand endorsements have reduced to 17 as of October 2018 from a bouquet of 25 two years ago, but his revenue has doubled during this period. “We have seen a 40 to 60 percent year-on-year increase in revenue,” adds Mukherjee.
Even with such a matrix, Tendulkar has an absolute veto over what he associates with. No tobacco, alcohol or gambling endorsements, for instance. “When I started playing, I had promised my father I wouldn’t endorse these, directly or through surrogates. If you remember, in the mid-1990s, two tobacco brands had sponsored bat stickers. The entire team was playing with them, except No 4. I played with a blank blade,” he says. “Around 2010, too, an alcohol company literally offered me a blank cheque and I refused. I hadn’t done it then, and I still won’t do it.”
Mukherjee reveals that during their initial strategy planning meetings, Tendulkar made it clear that his portfolio had to deliver value socially. That resulted in partnerships with the government on key initiatives, such as Swachh Bharat, Skill India and road safety, and extending his association with Unicef (which started in 2003); he has backed Unicef’s polio prevention programmes and hygiene and sanitation campaigns for children, has been appointed the UN ambassador for South Asia, and the Unicef and ICC Cricket for Good ambassador for the Women’s World Cup. These enabled advocacy on issues that he held dear: Healthy living for kids and the propagation of sports among women.
“His involvement has never been on a one-ad or one-engagement basis,” says a Unicef representative. “He was always genuinely interested. Whether that meant asking relevant questions to understand the efficacy of our campaigns or driving to Ratnagiri to hold a handwash awareness session at a school for visually-impaired kids.”
“If you look at many of his brand endorsements,” says Prakash Iyer, former MD, Kimberly Clark, and author and leadership coach, “Sachin has turned them into social messages. He’s taken the right strategy here. We don’t dissociate brands from our experience with them. On the field he was seen as a selfless performer, so if he can associate himself with larger causes, it bridges the gap that time creates.”
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The key quest for every brand is to anticipate the future audience and stay agile for them. Brand Tendulkar, too, wanted to be identified with emerging values resonant with Gen Z and beyond. He found his sweet spot with fitness and health. It was the subject of Tendulkar’s only Rajya Sabha speech—he was a nominated Member of Parliament—on December 21 last year, which was disrupted by Congress MPs protesting against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The House was adjourned, but Tendulkar posted his speech on social media to convey his concerns about how non-communicable diseases were going to cost India about $6.3 trillion between 2012 and 2030.
One of his portfolio picks was IDBI Federal Life Insurance, which, instead of instilling the fear of death and financial insecurity, invoked a message of health and wellness by sponsoring marathons in Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi and Kochi, four of its top markets. Since 2016, Tendulkar has been an ambassador for the marathons, flagging them off as early as 4.30 am, and staying on for prize distributions in pouring rain, like for the Mumbai half marathon in August 2017. This October, the company expanded his role and signed him on as an ambassador for the entire brand. “Our marketing needle has moved since roping in Tendulkar,” says Vighnesh Shahane, CEO and wholetime director of IDBI Federal Life Insurance.
Tendulkar’s choice of signing up for Apollo Tyres a few months ago, despite his association with rivals MRF for many years during his playing days, also hinges around the philosophy of creating a lasting influence. Its tagline ‘Going The Distance’ is in sync with his brand vision and, as an Indian multinational, the company represents what Tendulkar stood for. “When we look at Sachin, he is not just a cricketer, but a sporting icon. He still inspires Indians. His premium positioning and global journey are similar with Apollo’s. His image is sticky, and appeal ageless,” says Satish Sharma, president, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa region, for Apollo Tyres.
Vipul Sabharwal, managing director, Luminous Power Technologies, agrees. “Luminous took on Sachin as a brand ambassador in 2010 and we have extended our association to 2024. What he is today is a sum total of his 24 playing years, plus exemplary conduct after it. Has any Indian sportsman ever stayed relevant for as long as Sachin?” he asks.
The future of branding lies in the digital space, in its social and participatory prowess, and it’s an aspect even cricketing gods can’t turn a blind eye to. Besides endorsements, SRTSM has had to rewire its strategy to focus on digital platforms as a second stream of revenues. Part of building a captive audience comes from SRTSM’s 51:49 joint venture with JetSynthesys, a digital entertainment and gaming company, to develop 100 MB, an online platform that aggregates multi-format content like chats, quizzes, and auction of personalised merchandise. Launched in March 2017, it recently broadened its horizon to include other cricketers such as Mithali Raj, Ganguly, Colin Munro and Ish Sodhi. “At this point, it’s a 2.2-million community, which we are looking to grow to 5 million,” says Rajan Navani, its vice chairman and managing director.
Tendulkar’s digital footprint, meanwhile, has doubled in the last two years with a current combined following of over 70 million across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and 100 MB, up from 38.6 million in April 2016.
But digital engagement may be a tricky terrain for a cricketer who belongs to a generation not entirely comfortable with social media, which digs those with a natural temperament of visibility. And Tendulkar is no Virender Sehwag, who can ramp up digital presence through a Twitter duel with British journalist Piers Morgan. This is where second-hand interactions help in building a legacy. To that end, JetSynthesys is developing the Sachin Saga Cricket Champions, a free 3D game where gamers can play as the legend in virtual reality. With high-end graphics and animations derived from flying down Tendulkar to the UK and motion capturing his shots, Sachin Saga has about 7.2 million downloads since its launch in December 2017.
Another prong of Tendulkar’s second-innings strategy is entrepreneurial forays, through equity investments and joint ventures. How does he pick his horses? Values, of course, and instinct. Even during his playing days, Tendulkar claims to have had an intuition about how brands should connect with people.
Remember that Pepsi ad during the 1999 World Cup in which actor Shah Rukh Khan disguises himself as Tendulkar to enter the dressing room, only to be told by then captain Mohammad Azharuddin, “Pad up, you are on?” As Khan totters towards the ground with a bat and a can of Pepsi in hand, the real Sachin catches him at the entrance and assures him that he will take it from there. “As per the original script, I was to take the bat and head out, while Shah Rukh would go back into the dressing room. But I suggested that the ad makers could add a spin by sending Sachin inside with the can of Pepsi, and Shah Rukh out to bat, since the fight was over Pepsi and not who would bat. They liked it, changed the script and that’s how it was aired,” recalls Tendulkar.
He must have had a similar finger on the pulse when, in 2015, he got into a business partnership with Smartron, a Hyderabad-based company founded by Mahesh Lingareddy that deals with the Internet of Things, and builds smart gadgets for everyday use. Tendulkar has a 5.5 percent stake in it, according to data from Tracxn. Or when he backed a 23-year-old Anjana Reddy in 2012, when the Deccan Chronicle scion launched Universal Sportsbiz Private Limited, which sold sports memorabilia and autographed merchandise. He stayed invested even as the company pivoted to fashion clothing end-2013, and started selling Kohli’s Wrogn in February 2015. As of October 2018, Tendulkar has a 7.2 percent stake in the company (Tracxn data) that has recently raised about ₹100 crore in Series E funding and is valued at ₹1,200 crore.
But despite Tendulkar’s endorsements and engagements as a cricketer, entrepreneurship is a new game. Does he have it in him to hit it out of the park here as well? “Today, brands are built on authenticity. The core need is not to sell a product but a story. Marketing is being replaced by nuanced engagement. You won’t find a brand more authentic than Sachin Tendulkar,” says Kulin Lalbhai, executive director of textile manufacturer Arvind Ltd, with whom Tendulkar has a joint venture apparel line called True Blue.
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Will Tendulkar’s statesman-like stature be as compelling to a generation that won’t see him play? Will Kohli snaffle the legend of Sachin with his era-defining success? The debate is on. But, while, like every generation, this one too is inching towards claiming Kohli as the greatest ever, the 30-year-old’s biggest test will be to surpass the longevity of Tendulkar’s career and the weight of his records, even if he eclipses them, says sports writer Sharda Ugra.
And the values he stood for, adds Richard Goatley, CEO of Middlesex County Club, which has tied up with Tendulkar to roll out the Tendulkar Middlesex Global Academy (TMGA), in which the cricketer and coaches of the British club have drawn up a curriculum. “His values of playing with honesty and integrity go far beyond just being a good batsman or bowler. They will continue to stay relevant because they outlive the cut-throat aspects of life,” says Goatley.
What will benefit Tendulkar’s persona to a certain extent is the way his doughty spirit was housed in a polite and almost-unassuming exterior, far from the flashy and in-your-face personalities that contemporary cricket has come to be associated with. During his playing days, Tendulkar barely ever took a misstep or spoke out of turn; and while his reticence over key issues, like match-fixing, has sometimes come in for criticism, it’s also true that he comes from a pre-digital socio-cultural milieu where barely any Indian athlete took a public stand.
“Besides,” says Desai of Futurebrands, “there are brand ambassadors who get chosen because of a specific type of personality, and some others because of the absence of it. Sachin and Jordan fall in the latter category. These are also the kind of brands that have a greater longevity because you can throw them into any mix without altering their fundamental character.”
However, the danger with such personalities lies in indiscriminately accepting brand associations, once they hang up their boots, to remain visible. And the real temptation is to go down the food chain and continue to generate money. “The best thing would be to approach the coming decades with grace instead of peddling your old achievements. And that’s exactly what Sachin is doing: By not telling the world that he was a hero, and not doing too many things to hold on to his power,” adds Iyer.
But most important is to accept that, beyond a point, you can’t do much to bump up your equity. That, just like Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar, arguably Indian cricket’s greatest heroes before him, Tendulkar too will one day become a celebrity that was. “There is nothing that Sachin can do today that will be construed a bigger achievement than what he did during his playing days. That’s true and that’s life,” says Desai.
But, like the eternal optimist that he claims he is, Tendulkar isn’t thinking that far: “The current generation remembers me because they saw me play. It took me around 30 years to build up that reputation. I am merely into the fifth year of my second innings. Hopefully, you and I will be sitting across this table 25 years on and judging this.”
Legendary Sachin Tendulkar has been adjudged as the world’s 12th ‘Most Admired Man’, as per a survey conducted by YouGov, an internet-based market research and data analytics firm.
This year’s study surveyed more than 42,000 people in 38 countries and territories to compile the list.
Among sporting heroes, Tendulkar is third in the list behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
In the list, the iconic batter is ahead of former US president Donald Trump, Bollywood superstars Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and also present India captain Virat Kohli.
Tendulkar has been associated with UNICEF for more than a decade and was appointed the South Asian ambassador in 2013.
Over the years, Tendulkar has supported several initiatives in health, education, and the sports sector in rural and urban areas across various states in India.
MUMBAI: Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar is among the 50 most influential people on Twitter this year, placed at number 35, according to an annual research carried out by consumer intelligence company Brandwatch.
The legendary right-hander is ranked above the likes of American actors Dwayne Johnson and Leonardo Di Caprio , and former first lady of the United States Michelle Obama among others.
American singer Taylor Swift is at number 1 spot and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is placed at number two in the list.
The research cited Tendulkar’s “appreciable real work for the less fortunate, lending his voice and presence for the right causes, his inspired fans following his work and his partner brands’ relevant impactful campaigns” for his inclusion in the list.
The former India captain, who has also been a Rajya Sabha MP, is associated with UNICEF for more than a decade now and was appointed the ambassador for South Asia in 2013.
Tendulkar has supported many initiatives in health, education, and sports both in rural and urban India.
Brandwatch uses social media data to provide companies with information and means to analyse their brands’ online presence.
Sharing the stage with former Australia captain Steve Waugh and tennis great Boris Becker, Sachin Tendulkar won the Laureus Sporting Moment 2000-2020 award on Monday in Berlin.
Sachin Tendulkar being lifted on the shoulders of his teammates after their World Cup triumph at home in 2011 was voted the Laureus best sporting moment in the last 20 years.
With the backing of Indian cricket fans, Tendulkar got the maximum number of votes to emerge winner on on Monday.
Tendulkar, competing in his sixth and last World Cup, finally realised his long-term dream when skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni smacked Sri Lankan pacer Nuwan Kulasekara out of the park for a winning six.
The charged-up Indian cricketers rushed to the ground and soon they lifted Tendulkar on their shoulders and made a lap of honour, a moment etched in the minds of the fans.
Former Australian skipper Steve Waugh handed the trophy to Tendulkar after tennis legend Bros Becker announced the winner at a glittering ceremony.
“It’s incredible. The feeling of winning the world cup was beyond what words can express. How many times you get an event happening where there are no mixed opinions. Very rarely the entire country celebrates,” Tendulkar said after receiving the trophy.
“And this is a reminder of how powerful a sport is and what magic it does to our lives. Even now when I watch that it has stayed with me”.
Becker then asked Tendulkar to share the emotions he felt at that time and the Indian legend put in perspective how important it was for him to hold that trophy.
“My journey started in 1983 when I was 10 years old. India had won the World Cup. I did not understand the significance and just because everybody was celebrating, I also joined the party.
“But somewhere I knew something special has happened to the country and I wanted to experience it one day and that’s how my journey began.
“It was the proudest moment of my life, holding that trophy which I chased for 22 years but I never lost hope. I was merely lifting that trophy on behalf of my countrymen.”
The 46-year-old Tendulkar, the highest run-getter in the cricket world, said holding the Laureus trophy has also given him great honour.
He also shared the impact the revolutionary South African leader Nelson Mandela had on him. He met hin when he was just 19 years old.
“His hardship did not affect his leadership. Out of many messages he left, the most important I felt was that sport has got the power to unite everyone.
“Today sitting in this room with so many athletes, some of them did not have everything but they made the best of everything they had. I thank them for inspiring youngsters to pick a sport of their choice and chase their dreams. This trophy belongs to all of us, it’s not just about me.”