“STAY AT HOME. STAY HEALTHY.”

WHEN SACHIN TENDULKAR TALKS, PEOPLE LISTEN. THE ICONIC CRICKETER HAS GENEROUSLY LENT HIS VOICE AND MONEY IN THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19. AND HE’S NOT THE ONLY SPORTS STAR PITCHING IN TO DO HIS BIT.

- JULIE COOPER

The late 1980s was a challenging period for India, and the nation desperately needed hope and respite. They needed a savior.

And, some would say, they got one. In 1989, the most unlikely of heroes emerged. A 16-year-old cricket player by the name of Sachin Tendulkar made his debut in international cricket. His contagious charisma and incredible talent won over the hearts of millions, effectively bringing together an entire nation.

Mesmerised by the way he swung his bat as a flyer, thrashing speeding attacks and crushing former records, the people finally found their escape from real life. Kids idolised him and parents wished they had raised him.

Even fellow cricketers, opponents and home team alike, praised his name. Famous batsman Brian Lara once said, “Tendulkar is to cricket what Michael Jordan is to basketball and Muhammad Ali is to boxing.” Australian cricketer Mark Waugh admitted that when playing against him, “you almost want to see him get a few runs, just to see him bat”. Perhaps the highest praise though came from Australia’s Matthew Hayden, during a tour in 1998: “I have seen God. He bats at No. 4 for India in tests.”

And today, while Sachin is no longer batting professionally after retiring in 2013, the ‘God of cricket’ has yet again risen – this time as a hero for the sick and hungry. In light of COVID-19 and its merciless grip on India, the cricket legend made a significant donation to not-for-profit organisation Apnalaya in April to help feed 5,000 people for a month during the country’s aggressive lockdown. He has further helped with rations for 2,670 people in Alibaug, a coastal town in Maharashtra, and donations for 4,000-plus people from underprivileged families, and 2,500 people in other separate donations.