NEW DELHI:
Indian cricket great Sachin Tenckilkar
is set to receive a
rare civic honour from long-time on-field rivals Australia.Prime Minister Julia
Gifiard said here on Tuesday during her first visit to
India as Australia’s leader that Tendulkar was to be made an
honorary member of the Order of Australia.
The diminutive
39-year-old batsman has scored more runs in Test and
limited-overs cricket than any other player and is adored by fans in
India and across the cricket world. He already has received
the highest praise possible for a cricketer in Australia, with
the great batsman Don Bradman reportedly telling his wife
before he died that Tendulkar reminded him of
himself.Gillard told
reporters Tendulkar helped strengthen thebond between
Australia and India.
“I’m very pleased
we’re going to confer on Sachin Tendulkar membership
of the Order of Australia,” the
Australian
Broadcasting Corporation quoted Gifiard as saying as she visited a
cricket clinic here. “This is a very special honour, very rarely
awarded to someone who is not an Australian citizen or an
Australian
national. “So a very
special honour and a very
special recognition of such
a great batsman.”Only three other
non-Australian
cricketers have received the award.Tendulkar was in
South Africa for the
Champions
League Twenty20
tournament during
Gillard’s visit,and is expected to
receivethe award later from
anoth
er Australian
minister.The ‘Little Master’
— as Tendulkar is
affectionately known has played
Australia
more than any other
cricketer, and has toured Down Under five times for Test
series dating back to 1991.
He has played 190
Tests since his debut in 1989 and scored 15,533 runs
including 51 centuries. In 463 One-day Internationals, he
has scored 18,426 runs and his 49 centuries in that format makes
him the only batsman to have 100 inter national hundred
s.—AP
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