Notes from Sachin Tendulkar's farewell speech

7) Achrekar sir

Ramakant Achrekar watching Tendulkar score his 100th century at his house in Mumbai on March 16, 2012

He then spoke on how obliged he was to his mentor Ramakant Achrekar, who started coaching the little master at the age of 11. Tendulkar also joked on how Achrekar never muttered the words “well played” to his star pupil as he didn’t want the highest scorer in the history of international cricket to ever get complacent.

8) MCA, BCCI

Many members of the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) weere present on the occasion and Tendulkar thanked them for all their support to him over the years.

9) Players

The fab four of India’s batting over the last 15 years

The master blaster showed his gratitude to his teammates over the years. Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman were shown on the big screen to huge cheers from the crowd in attendance at the Wankhede. He also remembered the other member of the ‘Fab Four’ Anil Kumble, who was unfortunately not present at the match.

Tendulkar was also thankful to senior cricketers and coaches, and conveyed to the current players that he has complete faith that they will bring great honour for the country.

10) Trainers, Physios, Doctors

Tendulkar was grateful to all the people who helped him keep fit during his long and distinguished career. During a 24-year sporting career, one is bound to suffer many injuries and it was no different with Tendulkar. The Mumbaikar was especially grateful to the doctors who help him recover him from those injuries as quickly as possible.

11) Mark Mascarenhas, WSG, Vinod Naidu

He remembered the late Mark Mascarenhas, who made Sachin the first millionaire cricketer in 1995 and set the brand named Sachin Tendulkar loose in the 1990s. He went on to also thank World Sport Group (WSG) and their vice-president Vinod Naidu, who have worked closely with him over the last 14 years.

12) Media, Photographers

Not many sportspersons or celebrities show their courtesy for the media, but Tendulkar is different. He thanked the media for standing by him and the photographers for capturing his career in a splendid manner.

13) People for the support

Last but not the least, Sachin showed his appreciation for his fans – the millions who have followed his career and shown him so much love and affection. He said the chants fans made for him would stay with him until he breathes his last, which led to a loud chorus of “Sachin… Sachin” chants around the stadium.

The video of the speech can be found here.

The entire transcript of the speech can be found here.