Former Indian cricket team captain Sourav Ganguly has congratulated Indian cricket legend and former teammate Sachin Tendulkar after the cricketer accepted the Indian Olympic Association’s (IOA) offer to become one of the goodwill ambassadors for the Indian contingent at the Rio Olympics.
Ganguly, who is currently appointed as the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) said that Tendulkar’s contribution to India is enormous and therefore the IOA had chosen him. He said, "I wish him all the best. There is Abhinav Bindra as well, who has done wonders for India. Sachin Tendulkar has also done wonders for India. And that is the way Indian Olympic Association (IOA) had thought."
The IOA first appointed Bollywood superstar Salman Khan as the goodwill ambassador which received a lot of criticism from the sporting fraternity and the general public.
The decision left the whole country divided as legendary Indian sprinter Milkha Singh and London Olympics bronze medalist Yogeshwar Dutt questioned the move. Then the IOA approached Sachin Tendulkar and Beijing Olympics gold medalist Abhinav Bindra to become the goodwill ambassador for the Indian contingent in the most prestigious sporting event of all.
Also read: Sachin Tendulkar accepts IOA's request to become India's Olympic goodwill ambassador
On the other hand, those in support of the Bollywood actor believed that his selection would give a glamour quotient to the Indian team's presence at the world event and would also help in drawing further attention from the masses for the Games.
The Master Blaster’s inclusion could pacify a lot of the criticism received by the IOA as he is one of the biggest sporting icons the country has ever produced. Previously, the former batsman also tweeted about India’s Olympics chances and congratulated gymnast Dipa Karmakar for her recent achievements.
Sachin and Sourav’s opening pair is still considered as one of the most successful limited-overs opening partnerships of all time. Both of them are known to be good friends even off the field.
Also read: Seven shuttlers qualify for Rio to constitute India's largest Olympic badminton contingent
Sachin was the highest run-scorer in the 2003 World Cup in South Africa where the Indian cricket team went to the final under the leadership of Ganguly. Both of the legendary batsmen were seen recently at the Eden Gardens when it hosted the much anticipated India-Pakistan match during the T20 World Cup.
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