Legendary India cricketer Sachin
Tendulkar, the winner of the 2011 World Cup, turned 49 on Sunday. He retired
from cricket in 2013 with the record of scoring 34,357 runs across three
formats. His tally of 18426 runs in ODIs and 15921 in Tests is still the
highest by a batsman in international cricket. And these figures are
complemented by his 100 hundreds.

Also Read: Happy Birthday, Sachin Tendulkar! A peek into Master Blaster’s best innings

Only Sachin Tendulkar has these numbers,
no other international cricketer has ever reached close to his remarkable
figures.

In a country like India where numbers
have a big say in every walk of life, stylish cricketer Tendulkar became the
advertising world’s favourite model to present their products to the cricket
crazy customers. Even eight years after his retirement, he enjoys big clout
that is still revered. With due respect to Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni who are now regular
faces in competitive cricket, brand Tendulkar still sells better than his
successors. In 2022, Tendulkar’s brand value reportedly stands at Rs 1000 crore
compared to Kohli’s Rs 800 crore and Dhoni’s Rs 900 crore. 

Also Read: Birthday wishes pour in as ‘Master Blaster’ Sachin Tendulkar turns 49

On social media, Tendulkar has 37.2
million Twitter followers against Kohli’s 47.7 million. On Instagram, the
Little Master has 34.1 million followers while Kohli is way ahead with 192
million. But that is because Kohli is an active cricketer while Tendulkar
retired at a time when social media was yet to see its boom. So, these figures
are evidence of the popularity he still enjoys. Dhoni, on the contrary, has
38.1 million Instagram followers.

Tendulkar achieved many firsts as a
cricketer when India was trying to break the shackle and present itself as a
great prosperous nation to the world. His desert storm in Sharjah, Chennai Test
hundred against Pakistan, match-winning knock against Pakistan in the 2003
World Cup or the Sydney double hundred against Australia immortalised his
persona in the Indian psyche permanently.

Also Read: Mentor Sachin Tendulkar explains Mumbai Indians’ poor run in IPL 2022

Post-retirement Tendulkar stayed clear
of controversies. Staying away from anything which could stir up a row has also
protected Tendulkar’s brand value.

Being a dominating batsman with over a
thousand runs in almost every cricket playing nation, Tendulkar is Indian
cricket’s original hero. His rise as a superstar came at a time when the Indian
economy was opening up for foreign investment. Indians’ desire to do better in
life goes parallel with Tendulkar’s blitzkrieg batting against the world’s top
bowlers. Being the star sportsperson of a historic era Tendulkar etched his
name in the history books which narrated India’s rapid rise as an economic
superpower. Holding a special place in the hearts of Indians, regardless of
generations, Tendulkar is still a go-to person for conglomerates.

Also Read: IPL 2022: Jonty Rhodes touches Sachin Tendulkar’s feet after Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings | Watch

Cricketers of his era, the likes of
Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Sourav Ganguly, current BCCI President, Virender
Sehwag, and VVS Laxman, the current head of the National Cricket Academy, are
still popular figures in Indian cricket but their brand values are not as high
as Tendulkar’s. 

In the meantime, Tendulkar’s wise steps
to promote himself in top-notch media-friendly events also keep him in
limelight as a venerated evergreen celebrity of India.