‘I had two heroes’: Sachin Tendulkar names his batting idols while growing up

Sachin Tendulkar said that even though there were quite a few players he looked up to, but none was bigger than former India captain Sunil Gavaskar and West Indies great Viv Richards.

Legendary former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar on Thursday said he had two batting heroes while growing up. The former India batsman said that even though there were quite a few players he looked up to, but none was bigger than former India captain Sunil Gavaskar and West Indies great Viv Richards, explaining how he derived motivation from the two ace cricketers hoping to one-day play for the country.

Sachin Tendulkar admired Sunil Gavaskar and Viv Richards the most (Getty Images)

“I would say that when I was playing cricket or when I was of your age (young), I wanted to become a cricketer and going ahead wanted to play for my country,” Tendulkar said while speaking during the virtual ‘Gift of Life’ ceremony after 1,000 children underwent free heart surgeries performed by the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospital since the pandemic began in the country.

“I had two heroes - one is our own Sunil Gavaskar, who played for India for several years and performed well, he was my batting hero. Along with him, it was Viv Richards of the West Indies. These were my batting heroes when I played cricket.”

Outside of cricket, Tendulkar said his biggest inspiration was father Ramesh Tendulkar. “But generally, in life, then I would say that my hero was my father (Ramesh Tendulkar). So much time I spent with him and he was mild, calm and composed, he was a man with good nature. So, it is my dream that I become like him. I will say that my father was my hero in my life,” Tendulkar said.

“You are also giving them a chance to create a positive impact, not just on their lives, but also on the people around them.”

(- With PTI inputs)