Tendulkar’s dedication and hard work has made him into the man he is today

Iconic India batsman Sachin Tendulkar is arguably the most respected cricketer in the history of the game, but in a humble and selfless move, the ‘Little Master’ has shared his secrets to earning the respect of the entire cricketing community.

Tendulkar believes in order to excel and stand out from the rest, cricketers have to stay devoted to the sport from a young age and be willing to work on and develop their game every single day, no matter how hard it may be.

“Competition should not bother you, you should only think about your commitment, effort and contribution,” Tendulkar said. “This is what I tell my son – don’t worry about what others are doing. When you do the right thing, the team will follow your example. Competition will always there.

“When you work hard, luck swings your way. There will be challenges in life but when you work hard, you can overcome the challenges. So, don’t think about luck, just focus on hard work. Performance will never be consistently upwards but strong people can overcome the lows.”

Everyone has heard the cliché saying of ‘there is no I in team’ and Tendulkar touched on that point, saying that cricketers who only play to boost their own statistics will not get very far, but if everyone starts working together and supporting each other, then the sky is the limit.

“All the obstacles can be tackled when your are together,” he added. “Even in the [2011] World Cup, we took it as just another tournament. We decided to stick to each other.”

However, Tendulkar revealed that there were many challenges constantly thrown in front of him during his youth, but urged all youngsters, who may be experiencing the same thing, to fight through and never give up.

“Balancing cricket and studies was my biggest challenge in my school days but my parents and my school, cooperated with me,” he said. “It was challenging.

“Once I played against Glenn McGrath and he bowled 6-7 maiden overs to me. I kept leaving the ball to try and be there.”

The ‘Little Master’ also admitted that he loved spending time with children since they are the future of the world and he believes the benefits that come out of it is something even money cannot buy.

“When I went there and spent time with children, it was a wonderful moment and something that you cannot buy,” he added. “I am still young I would like to believe.”