Batting great Sachin Tendulkar being carried on the shoulders of his teammates after India's World Cup triumph at home in 2011 was voted the Laureus best sporting moment in the last 20 years. And the legendary batsman took a walk down memory lane, calling the World Cup win the greatest moment of his life.
With the backing of Indian cricket fans, Tendulkar got the maximum number of votes to emerge winner on Monday.
"It's incredible. The feeling of winning the World Cup was beyond what words can express. How many times you get an event happening where there are no mixed opinions. Very rarely the entire country celebrates," Tendulkar said after receiving the trophy.
"And this is a reminder of how powerful a sport is and what magic it does to our lives. Even now when I watch that it has stayed with me."
Tendulkar, competing in his sixth and last World Cup, finally realised his long-cherished dream when skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni smacked Sri Lankan pacer Nuwan Kulasekara out of the park for a winning six.
Tendulkar put in perspective how important it was for him to hold that trophy when Becker asked him to share the emotions he felt at that time.
"My journey started in 1983 when I was 10 years old. India had won the World Cup. I did not understand the significance and just because everybody was celebrating, I also joined the party," he said.
The 46-year-old Tendulkar, the highest run-getter in the cricket world, also shared the impact the revolutionary South African leader Nelson Mandela had on him. Tendulkar met him when he was just 19 years old.
"His hardship did not affect his leadership. Out of many messages he left, the most important I felt was that sport has got the power to unite everyone.
India skipper Virat Kohli, who was part of the 2011 World cup winning team, also congratulated Tendulkar.
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