Sachin Tendulkar's portrait at Lord's Long Room [Source: @mufaddal_vohra/x.com]
In a moment that has got every cricket romantic misty-eyed, a stunning portrait of Sachin Tendulkar has now found its rightful place in the legendary Long Room at Lord’s. Yes, that Long Room, the heart and soul of the Lord’s Pavilion where cricket royalty lives on canvas.
Sachin Tendulkar’s Legacy Framed Forever In The Heart of Lord’s
As India and England gear up for the third Test at the Home of Cricket, this tribute to the Master-Blaster comes as the cherry on top. He may never have scored a Test ton at this iconic venue but make no mistake, Sachin Tendulkar’s legacy now hangs where legends belong.
It’s one of cricket’s quirks. The man with 51 Test hundreds and almost 16,000 runs to his name never managed a century at Lord’s. His best? Just 37 in five Test matches here. Even in ODIs, he couldn’t quite crack the code as he only has 45 runs in three games. But numbers never told the full story with Tendulkar.
What Lord’s couldn’t capture on the scoreboard, it now does on canvas. Because the absence of a three-figure score never meant Sachin Tendulkar lacked stature. And now, with his portrait in the Long Room, it’s official, Lord’s still bows to the legend.
Meanwhile, if you really want to talk about Sachin at Lord’s, you have got to rewind to 1998, when he captained the Rest of the World XI in a memorial match against MCC. That day, he went full throttle scoring 125 runs.
It may not have counted towards the honours board but it counted to the fans. And now, more than two and a half decades later, his return to the Lord’s comes with poetic timing.
Tendulkar To Ring Bell At Lord’s Test
Before the third ENG vs IND Test kicks off, Sachin will be marking the start of play by ringing the iconic five-minute bell. Introduced in 2007, it is one of cricket’s finest traditions reserved for players who have left a mark on the game.
With Indian greats like Sunil Gavaskar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid having rung it before, it’s only right that Tendulkar adds his name to that elite list.
Let’s not forget that this is the very ground now hosting the freshly minted Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, named after England’s swing king and India’s batting icon. It’s the first time a bilateral series between India and England carries their names. So while Sachin’s bat might be in the rack these days, his shadow is still all over this series.
He may not have made it to the Lord’s honours board but Sachin Tendulkar has now become part of something even more timeless. His portrait in the Long Room is cricket history framed and hung with pride.