- Saturday, March 01, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
On April 24, cricket-crazy India’s blue-eyed boy Sachin Tendulkar will turn 50 and like each of those moments when the Master Blaster raised his bat after achieving a cricketing feat, this occasion will not go overlooked either.
While millions are eagerly waiting to celebrate the special occasion, several thousands of them are already expressing their love and admiration for the former batter in unique ways. Tendulkar’s birthdays have always been a national occasion to celebrate but this year, it will be even more special as the former cricketer’s brand valuation rises even more.
According to a report by the Hindu BusinessLine, Indian jewellery brand Tanishq has come up with a solitaire collection ‘Celeste x Sachin Tendulkar’ which is “crafted with the same precision and perfection that marks the cricketer’s brilliant strokes pays tribute to the legend’s remarkable achievements, which include a 100 international centuries”.
According to Tanishq, it is presenting 100 limited edition ‘Sachin x Celeste’ solitaires in the D-Flawless 1 Carat category. Each of those special edition solitaire comes with “Sachin, Brilliant by Design!” — an exclusive coffee table book, the report added.
Tendulkar played for India for 24 years between 1989 and 2013 and scored more than 34,000 international runs, by far the most by any cricketer on this planet.
The cricket-governing body of Mumbai, Tendulkar’s home town, is also not far behind in its plan to celebrate the special occasion. The Mumbai Cricket Association is set to install a life-size statue of the icon inside the Wankhede Stadium, his home pitch where he won the 2011 World Cup. The statue is likely to be unveiled during the 50-over World Cup to be held in India later this year, reports said.
Tributes will also be paid to the former cricketer in words. Publishing house Simon & Schuster is set to pay tributes to Tendulkar with a special edition ‘Celebrating a Maestro — Sachin@50’. It features original pieces by his wife Anjali Tendulkar, brother Ajit Tendulkar, former India captains Sunil Gavaskar and Sourav Ganguly. current India captain Rohit Sharma, Australia cricketer David Warner and noted personalities from other fields such as Abhinav Bindra (shooting), Farhan Akhtar (films), Prahlad Kakkar (ad film director) and Vishwanathan Anand (chess), the report added.
“The idea was to capture the enigma of Sachin Tendulkar through the eyes of a select list of people who have known him closely over the years. While it seems like a monumental task, it’s through the anecdotes and experiences of his colleagues, opponents, family members and friends, that we aimed to understand the phenomenon and how one man has been able to deal with the expectations of a billion people for so many decades,” Sayantan Ghosh, executive editor, Simon & Schuster, was quoted as saying by the Hindu BusinessLine.
Although Tendulkar retreated from the cricketing arena a decade ago, he has remained visible in the public, trying different other things, including cooking and travelling and making posts on them on his Instagram, earning the fans’ adulation. He has also been involved with the game in the capacity of mentor, commentator and analyst. This has not allowed Brand Sachin to fade out and with a special occasion approaching, it is getting ready to deliver a punch now.
As per Kroll’s Celebrity Brand Valuation Report 2022, the former cricketer climbed up to the eighth position with a brand valuation of $73.6 million last year compared to 11th the year before, the report added.
Aviral Jain, managing director, Valuation Advisory Services, Kroll told the Hindu BusinessLine, “His brand position in the industry has been built on his exceptional cricketing ability and world records, humble and approachable personality, and his unwavering commitment to promote sports culture. And this has helped him garner significant engagement on digital platforms as well, with more than 115 million followers on social media platforms.”
“Brand Sachin is seen as a symbol of unity and national pride, and often associated with values such as hard work, dedication, and trustworthiness,” he added.
Jain said how Tendulkar has built a robust endorsement portfolio over the years with more than 15 brands, including financial services to consumer durables to personal care. He is also the face of new age companies such as Rario and Spinny.
“These partnerships have helped him cement his position being amongst top 10 brand ambassadors in our country,” Jain further told the Hindu BusinessLine.
These have ensured that Tendulkar still is a force in the commercial world despite bidding adieu to the game a decade ago and competes with current big names in the game, such as Virat Kohli and Rohit.
The report also cited sources as saying that Reliance Industries is planning something big on the special occasion of Tendulkar’s birthday this year. Tendulkar was the first captain of the Ambanis-owned Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League. He still is the team’s mentor and recently saw his son Arjun making his debut for the Mumbai Indians.
Ajimon Francis, managing director of Brand Finance, told the news outlet, “Sachin has deftly preserved his goodwill amongst audiences and brands by being a deep repository of cricketing knowledge and insight. Sachin is Mumbai’s golden boy in many ways. He is still a living and breathing mascot for that team, and the owner of Mumbai Indians, Reliance, has also been in consistent collaboration with Sachin, lending him considerable support and providing opportunities.”
