Sachin was honoured with the BCCI’s Lifetime Achievement Award by International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman Jay Shah during the Naman Awards in Mumbai. With 664 international appearances for India, Tendulkar remains the highest run-scorer in both Test and ODI history.

For the uninitiated, Sachin Tendulkar played his last international match for India in November 2013 against the West Indies on his home turf — Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.

Sachin Tendulkar’s last match for India was a tear-jerker for every cricket fan, and when the Master gave his speech, no one could stop their emotions from going overboard.

“I’m speechless when it comes to those moments; those moments are never planned. I think it’s a story written from above. Honestly, when I look back, I really find it difficult to believe that all these things have happened in my life. I consider myself extremely lucky, and that last moment when the whole team was planning to do something for me and celebrate the ninth wicket, we celebrated that,” said Sachin Tendulkar during his acceptance speech on Saturday.

“MS Dhoni said ‘paaji aap thoda dur raho, hum kuch plan kar rahe hai’ and then the team gave me the guard of honour. They gave me that send-off and that is when you kind of realise that the end is near. ‘Ki iske baad I will never walk out on the field as a current Indian player’. Very few people get to do this very few people experience what all of you are experiencing,” he added.

‘Ultimate gift of my life’

Sachin Tendulkar scored 15,921 runs in the longest format and a staggering 18,426 in the 50-over game. His records for most Test (200) and ODI (463) appearances also remain untouched, just showcasing the longevity of his career.

The Master Blaster made his debut at the age of 16 during India’s 1989 tour of Pakistan. He is now the 31st recipient of the prestigious C K Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award.

Sachin also had a valuable advice for all the current Indian cricketers, saying, “Without cricket all of us wouldn’t be sitting in this room. See for me it has been the ultimate gift of my life. We have bat and ball and if there is no solid grip over that you start losing grip over bat and a ball. Kind of slowly start losing grip over your career also.”

I should not be giving you advices and stay focused whatever, but there will be distractions. Don’t let them disrupt your career. Value everything that we have and look after your game. It is about we all have managed when we did not have anything. It is important to value when we have everything and behave in the appropriate manner to take the game forward and the country’s name. You all are current cricketers. There is plenty of cricket left in you just go out give your best and make the most of this opportunity because you’ll only realise once you’ve stopped playing cricket where you were a few years ago,” he added.