Sachin Tendulkar on Monday won the Laureus World Sports Award for Laureus Sporting Moment 2000-2020.
The former Indian cricket team captain became the first Indian sportsperson to win a Laureus World Sports Award with his win at the 20th-anniversary edition of the event dubbed as the ‘Oscars of Sport.’
“Thank you all for the overwhelming love and support! I dedicate this @LaureusSport award to India, all my teammates, fans and well wishers in India and across the world who have always supported Indian cricket. #SportUnitesUs #Laureus20 #SportForGood” Tendulkar tweeted .
The ‘Master Blaster’ received his award from Australian former skipper Steve Waugh, Laureus shared the moment on their Twitter handle.
”"This is a reminder of how powerful sport is and what magic it does to all of our lives." A God for a nation. An inspiration worldwide. And an incredible speech from the Laureus Sporting Moment 2000 - 2020 winner, the great @sachin_rt #Laureus20 #SportUnitesUs,” Laureus captioned the video.
The moment that bagged the award for Tendulkar happened during the 2011 ICC World Cup, when his team carried him on their shoulders in a lap of honour after India’s win. Tendulkar had helped the Indian cricket team win the World Cup in his sixth and final attempt before retirement.This was India's first world cup win on home soil.
“Very rarely the entire country celebrates together. Very rarely there are no mixed opinions. Everyone sits together and celebrates. This is a reminder of how powerful sport is and what magic it does to all of our lives,” Tendulkar had said in his acceptance speech.
The winner for the Award that celebrated sporting moments from the past couple of decades was decided based on votes received by fans from across the globe.
Tendulkar was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2019.