Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar had special words to say for the West Indies cricket legend Viv Richards, who turned 66 on Wednesday. Posting a photograph with the Caribbean batting maestro, Sachin Tendulkar described Viv Richards as his ‘batting hero’.
One of the most destructive batsmen in the sport’s history, Richards has been an inspiration to batsmen for several generations. He was a part of that West Indies cricket team that ruled the roost for close to two decades.
Richards played in an era where fast bowlers, particularly from the Caribbean, were devastating for the batsmen. He represented West Indies in 121 Tests, scoring 8,540 runs at 50.23 with the help of 24 centuries and 45 fifties.
The revered right-handed batsman never wore a helmet while batting. Richards described the reason by saying, “What I always felt since I was a little boy is that when you are given a cap to represent your country, with the emblem, and you wear at the top of your head, not everyone gets that opportunity.”
“And given that opportunity as a young boy to wear the cap, I felt I wouldn’t be doing the cap any justice if I had anything else on my head. And because of that proudness of wearing that cap I felt that god would protect me in the middle from whatever I was facing out in the middle,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}“And given that opportunity as a young boy to wear the cap, I felt I wouldn’t be doing the cap any justice if I had anything else on my head. And because of that proudness of wearing that cap I felt that god would protect me in the middle from whatever I was facing out in the middle,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}In a career spanning from 1974-1991, Richards also played in 187 ODIs and was instrumental in West Indies’ World Cup wins in 1975 and 1979.
Richards captained the West Indies from 1980-1991, and in 50 Tests his team won 27 and lost only eight, alongside 15 draws. He had an equally impressive record in ODIs as captain. Out of 105 matches with Richards at the helm, West Indies won 67 while they lost only 36.