Sachin Tendulkar recognized as national icon by Election Commission of India for raising voting awareness

Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has been named as the national icon of the Election Commission of India to raise voting awareness.

On Wednesday (August 23), the Bharat Ratna awardee signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) for a three-year period in the presence of Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar.

The collaboration is aimed at engaging youth voters in both urban and rural areas for the upcoming general (Lok Sabha) elections in 2024.

Tendulkar said at the event, as quoted by ANI:

"Our future voters are very important we are the largest democracy on earth and it's our responsibility to vote. It's a responsibility that shouldn't be Ignored. When I started playing for India I was only 16 years old, all players are from different cultures and that makes us strong."

He continued

"The Cricket World Cup is in October..... people have blocked their calendars for it but we didn't see the same enthusiasm during voting days. I request you please go out and vote.”

As per reports, actor Pankaj Tripathi previously served as the national icon for ECI.

Why Sachin Tendulkar was picked as the national icon of ECI

Sachin Tendulkar is one of the most influential figures of modern India. The Mumbai-born cricketer represented the nation in 200 Tests and 463 ODIs, scoring 15,921 and 18,426 runs, respectively.

The right-handed batter was the first-ever player to score a double century in ODIs. He is also the highest run-scorer in both the longer formats.

In overall 664 international games, Tendulkar scored a record 34,357 runs at an average of 48.52, including 100 tons and 164 half-centuries. He is the only player to hit 100 centuries in international cricket. Virat Kohli is the second-best on the list with 76 tons.

Tendulkar, who represented India in six ODI World Cups, was part of the winning squad of the 2011 edition.

For his outstanding achievements, Tendulkar has received several awards from the government of India, including the Arjuna Award, the Khel Ratna Award, Padma Shri, Padma Vibhushan, and Bharat Ratna.

Sachin Tendulkar is currently serving as the mentor of Indian Premier League franchise Mumbai Indians.