‘You really feel special’ - Sachin Tendulkar reflects on Laureus honour among top athletes

The 2026 Laureus World Sports Awards is set to take place at Madrid’s Palacio de Cibeles on April 20, where the India women's national cricket team will be aiming to clinch the World Team of the Year award.

Ahead of this year’s ceremony, legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar reflected on one of the most memorable moments of his career. He won the prestigious Laureus Sporting Moment (2000-2020) award for his iconic 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup Final triumph, titled ‘Carried on the Shoulders of a Nation’.

The fan-voted award celebrated his long-awaited World Cup victory after a 20-year journey, culminating in an emotional lap of honour at Wankhede Stadium. Tendulkar received the award in Berlin in 2020.

‘When you have this beautiful trophy in your hand you really feel special. For all those years where you’ve been through ups and downs in life and then you get appreciated in this special manner, in front of the top athletes of the world. It really makes it a memorable event. I cherish this. I mean, it’s really special,” said Sachin on Laureus in X.

The ‘Master Blaster’ enjoyed a phenomenal campaign in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, scoring 482 runs in nine matches at an average of 53.55, including two centuries and two fifties. Over the course of his illustrious career, Tendulkar amassed 15,921 Test runs and 18,426 ODI runs, while also picking up 200 wickets across formats for the Indian team.

Reflecting on India’s journey in the tournament, the team began with a win over Bangladesh and played out a thrilling tie against England. The Men in Blue went on to defeat Ireland, Netherlands, and West Indies in the group stage, with their only loss coming against South Africa.

In the knockout stages, India overcame Australia in the quarter-final and defeated arch-rivals Pakistan in the semi-final, before beating Sri Lanka in the final to lift the World Cup after 28 years.

Meanwhile, the India women's national cricket team earned a nomination following their historic triumph in the 2025 ICC Women's Cricket World Cup. The Women in Blue defeated South Africa women's national cricket team by 52 runs in the final at DY Patil Stadium to secure their first-ever ICC title.