The legendary Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar has accepted an honorary membership from the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC). Tendulkar played in international cricket from 1989-2013 and holds the record for scoring the most runs (34,357) across all formats in 664 games with 100 centuries and 164 fifties.
The 51-year-old fared well in red-ball format in Melbourne, scoring 449 runs in five games at an average of 44.90, with a solitary hundred and three half-centuries. Meanwhile, his test record against Australia is also outstanding, with 3,630 runs at an average of 55, with a top knock of 241* coming in Sydney in 2004.
In an interaction with ANI, MCC President Fred Oldfield expressed his happiness to award the membership to Tendulkar. He said:
“The Melbourne Cricket Club, on occasions, awards honorary life memberships to cricketers who have made outstanding contributions to cricket not only for the country but for the world. Recently, we invited Sachin Tendulkar to join that cohort and he has accepted it. We couldn’t be more pleased that he is part of that honored group.”
Earlier, Tendulkar was awarded the Order of Australia in 2012, which recognizes the achievements of Australian citizens and others. He was the third player to receive the honor after Clive Lloyd and Brian Lara.
How did Sachin Tendulkar fare in his last tour to Australia?
Sachin Tendulkar’s last appearance on Australian soil came during India’s 2012-13 tour. It turned out to be the disastrous series for the visitors, as they were beaten 4-0 and were dominated in all departments. Out of them, India succumbed to a lopsided innings loss on two occasions.
Tendulkar managed to score only 287 runs in six innings at an average of 35.87, with a top score of 80. Along with Tendulkar, it turned out to be the last tour to Australia for Rahul Dravid, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag and VVS Laxman as well.
For India, Virat Kohli was the top-scorer with 300 runs, while Aussie captain Michael Clarke topped the charts with 626 runs.
Sachin Tendulkar is still the top-scorer in Border-Gavaskar Trophy history with 3,262 runs in 34 games at an average of 56.24, with nine hundreds and 16 fifties.
Tendulkar’s best performance in BGT on Australian soil came in 2007, where he emerged as the top batter with 493 runs in eight innings at an average of 70.42.
FAQs
Who is the top wicket-taker in BGT history?
Nathan Lyon – 121 wickets
How did Sachin Tendulkar fare in his last test innings?
74 off 118 against West Indies in November 2013 in Mumbai
