Sachin was born at Nirmal Nursing Home in Dadar to a Rajapur Saraswat Brahmin[ Maharastrian family. His father, Ramesh Tendulkar, was a Marathi-language novelist and poet while his mother, Rajni, worked in the insurance industry. As a child, Tendulkar was interested in both tennis and cricket and idolised American tennis player John McEnroe.
His elder brother Ajit took him to cricket coach Ramakant Achrekar at Shivaji Park in Dadar but at their first meeting, Tendulkar coudln’t impress Achrekar as he was feeling self-conscious due to the coach observing him. Ajit requested the coach to give him another chance at playing, but watch while hiding behind a tree. This time, Tendulkar, played much better and was accepted at Achrekar’s academy.
Achrekar was impressed with Tendulkar’s talent and advised him to shift his schooling[citation needed] to Sharadashram Vidyamandir School,[25] a school in Dadar that had produced many notable cricketers. He was coached by Achrekar in the mornings and evenings and Tendulkar would practice for hours. Upon getting exhausted, Achrekar would put a one-rupee coin on the top of the stumps, and the bowler who dismissed Tendulkar would get the coin. If Tendulkar completed the session without getting dismissed, the coach would give him the coin.
Besides school cricket, Tendulkar also played club cricket. In 1984, at age 11, he debuted in the Kanga Cricket League while playing the John Bright Cricket Club. In 1987, Tendulkar attended the MRF Pace Foundation to train as a fast bowler, but the trainer, who was Australian fast bowler Dennis Lillee, suggested Tendulkar to focus on his batting.
Sachin made his Test match debut on November 15 1989 against Pakistan in Karachi at the age of 16, and went on to represent India internationally for over 24 years.
National Honours:
1994 – Arjuna Award – outstanding achievement in sports.
1997–98 – Khel Ratna Award, India’s highest honour given for achievement in sports.
1999 – Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award.
2008 – Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian award.
2014 – Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award.
Sporting honours:
2003 – Player of the tournament in 2003 Cricket World Cup.
2010 – Outstanding Achievement in Sport and the People’s Choice Award at The Asian Awards in London.
2010 – Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for cricketer of the year.
2010 – Made an Honorary Group Captain by the Indian Air Force.
2011 – Castrol Indian Cricketer of the Year award.
2013 – India Post released a stamp of Tendulkar and he became the second Indian after Mother Teresa to have such stamp released in their lifetime.
2019 – Inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.
2020 – Laureus World Sports Award for Best Sporting Moment (2000–2020).
