Oct. 6: Sachin Tendulkar finally ended his drought of not having won an ICC Award as he walked away with the Cricketer of the Year of the Award, at a glittering function here on Wednesday. In its seventh year, the award is a reflection of the performance of the last 12 months, and Tendulkar was the deserving winner, having also been nominated for the Test as well as ODI Player of the Year awards.
But it was Tendulkar’s teammate Virender Sehwag and South African AB de Villiers, who were earlier declared the Test and ODI Player of the Year respectively, keeping everyone on the edge of their seats. However, the golden moment for Tendulkar came when ICC President Sharad Pawar announced his name to end the ceremony in a fitting manner.
Earlier, Tendulkar became the first ever winner of the People’s Choice Award, which emphasised his popularity. He was also named in the Test and ODI teams of the Year. “I’m very excited with the two awards. It’s a true reflection of my contribution to the Indian team over 20 years,” said Tendulkar. The Maestro was in great touch during the award period — between August 24, 2009 and August 10 2010 — scoring 1,064 runs in 10 Tests, while in ODIs he made 914 runs in 17 matches at an average of 65.28.
Meanwhile, Sehwag said he was motivated to win the Test Player award after his opening partner Gautam Gambhir had won it last time around. “I will continue to bat with the same (aggressive) approach in Tests as it has brought me success,” said Sehwag.