Mumbai: The legendary Sachin Tendulkar, whose batting records and impact on international cricket have stood the test of time, was Saturday conferred with the Col CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award, while current India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah was honoured with the Polly Umrigar Award for Best Men’s International Cricketer of 2023-24.
The 51-year-old Tendulkar, who played 664 international games for India, holds the record for the highest number of Test and ODI runs in the history of the game.
“Deeply honoured to receive the Col. C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award. My cricketing journey, which spanned 24 years was never mine alone. It belonged to every coach’s guidance, every teammate’s trust, every fan’s unwavering support and my family’s belief, love and sacrifices,” Tendulkar tweeted.
“This award is a reminder to keep giving back to the sport and the people that gave me everything. To the @BCCI and every cricket lover: thank you for letting me bat for India with an open heart and limitless boundaries.”
From his debut as a 16-year-old prodigy to becoming the first batsman to score a double century in ODIs, Tendulkar’s journey was one of relentless pursuit of excellence and remains the only cricketer to have featured in 200 Tests.
“Always value your game and take care of your game. I realised on that final day (2013) that I will never walk onto the field as a current India cricketer. Similarly, once you retire then you will realise where you were a few years ago,” Tendulkar said during the BCCI’s annual awards function.
“So enjoy your game as you have a lot of cricket left in you as current India cricketers and stay away from distractions,” added the Mumbaikar, who has scored 100 international centuries and 34,357 international runs in his career.
Bumrah, who was selected as the ICC Test and overall Cricketer of the Year for delivering “a master-class in skill, precision, and relentless consistency”, was India’s standout bowler last year, playing a pivotal role in home wins over England and Bangladesh.
The 31-year-old was also the Player of the Series against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, bagging 32 wickets across five Tests.
Elegant batter Smriti Mandhana walked away with the Best International Cricketer of 2023-24 in women’s category.
Mandhana, who was the ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year, made 747 runs in the 2024 calendar year with four centuries. She had previously won the award in 2017-18, 2020-21, and 2021-22.
The 28-year-old’s runs came at an average of 57.86 and an impressive strike rate of 95.15.
Spin great Ravichandran Ashwin, who retired from international cricket in December 2024 as India’s second highest wicket-taker in Tests with 537 dismissals and overall eighth highest, was bestowed with a special award.
“My fingers still itch as I realised when I came down the field for training because there is an IPL for me. The whole career has been a huge high for me actually, and it was a privilege to share the stage with Sachin Tendulkar, a dream for a boy who played street cricket in Chennai,” Ashwin said after receiving the award.
The 37-year-old Ashwin, who made his Test debut in November 2011, played a defining role in India’s 12-year domination in the longest format at home wherein they won 18 series on the trot.
Among newcomers, Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan grabbed the Best International Debut among men for his quick-fire fifty against England in the Rajkot Test in February 2024.
Among women, Asha Sobhana was given the award for Best International Debut as she picked up 4/21 against South Africa to help India win by 143 runs in their first ODI at Bengaluru in June 2024.
Mandhana was also honoured with the Highest Run Getter in ODIs medal after she finished as the highest run-scorer in 2024, smacking 747 runs at 57.46 in 13 matches with four tons and one fifty.
Experienced off-spinner Deepti Sharma was awarded with the Highest Wickets in ODIs medal for taking 24 wickets in 13 matches.
Tanush Kotian continued to make waves with his rise through the ranks in Mumbai in the 2023-24 season, which culminated with his maiden call-ups for the India A side for their tour of Australia and subsequently for the Indian team for the last two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Kotian was awarded with the Best Performance in the BCCI Domestic Tournaments trophy.
The 26-year-old scored 502 runs in 10 matches at 41.83 with one century and five fifties and also grabbed 29 wickets.
The Mumbai Cricket Association was given the Best Performance in BCCI Domestic Tournaments Trophy.
Having won the Ranji Trophy for a record-extending 42nd time in the season, Mumbai also claimed the Irani Cup after a gap of 27 years.
Mumbai also won various titles such as Ranji Trophy, U-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy, U-14 West Zone Championship, senior women’s T20 Trophy, women’s U-19 One Day Trophy, Bapuna Cup T20 Tournament and men’s U-19 All India tournament.
Mumbai teams also finished as runner-up in Cooch Behar U-19 Trophy and Vinoo Mankad U-19 Trophy.
Akshay Totre from Indore was adjudged the Best Umpire in Domestic Cricket for the season.
PTI
