Why Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid were inducted into ICC Hall of Fame before Sachin Tendulkar?

Apparently, it seems an injustice but actually, it is not. Former batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar was on Thursday inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame for his exemplary services to the game of cricket. Former South African fast bowler Allan Donald and Australian woman cricketing icon Cathryn Fitzpatrick were also inducted in the prestigious club.

Tendulkar, 46, became only the six Indian to become a Hall of Fame member while some of his contemporaries like Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble have already made to the list. While the cricket lovers were pleased to see Tendulkar making the Hall of Fame, something many would expect him to be a part of.

However, there were also questions over why the international cricket-governing body took that long to honour the Master Blaster while the likes of Dravid and Kumble have already been made the Fame members in 2018 and 2015, respectively.

There is a valid reason for Tendulkar getting ‘late’. As per the ICC’s rules, a player can be inducted into the Hall of Fame only after he/she completes five years since taking the retirement call. Tendulkar, who had made his international debut in 1989, bid adieu to the game only in 2013 and hence the minimum gap of five years got over only in 2018.

This proved another greatness of the man who had survived 24 years in the international circuit, having started earlier than both Kumble (1990) and Dravid (1996) and finishing after them (Kumble in 2008 and Dravid in 2012).

Bedi, Gavaskar and Kapil in Hall of Fame

The three other cricketers from India who have the prestigious recognition of being in the ICC Hall of Fame are Bishan Singh Bedi, Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev – all of whom were inducted in 2009 despite taking retirement a long ago (Bedi in 1979, Gavaskar in 1987 and Kapil in 1994).

Overall, a total of 87 players have earned their places in the ICC Hall of Fame. England have the most among them with 28 names followed by Australia (26) and the West Indies (18). Pakistan have five names in the list while New Zealand and South Africa have three each and Sri Lanka one.

Tendulkar has played 200 Tests, 463 ODIs and one T20I, scoring over 34,000 international runs with record 100 centuries.