Tendulkar named Castrol Cricketer of the Year

Star batsman Sachin Tendulkar received the prestigious 'Castrol Cricketer of the Year Award' at a glittering function at the Cricket Club of India lawns in south Bombay on Friday night.

Sachin Tendulkar

Tendulkar was chosen from among the five finalists selected on the basis of their performance in batting, bowling and fielding. The other finalists were Indian captain Saurav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath.

Tendulkar said, "I am very happy to receive this award for the second time. I think that one cannot be successful without support from the other ten guys in the team and particularly those three guys who are sitting in the dressing room."

Castrol India chairman S M Datta handed over the trophy to Tendulkar amidst applause from those present on the occasion, who included some former and current cricketers.

The 'Castrol Junior Cricketer of the Year Award' went to Yuvraj Singh, who made an impressive debut for the country at the ICC Knockout Tournament in Nairobi, Kenya.

Singh said he was happy to get the award, which is very special for him. He also thanked all his colleagues for their support.

Earlier, the 'Castrol Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cricket' was presented to Vijay Hazare at his residence in Baroda recently.

In his message read out on the occasion, the former Indian skipper said it was indeed a pleasure for him to receive the award. "I am thankful to the people for remembering me," he said.

The current members of the Bombay Ranji Trophy team, which has won the national title a record 34 times, were also felicitated with their coach Ashok Mankad.

Polly Umrigar, Bapu Nadkarni, G S Ramchand, Eknath Solkar, Dilip Vengsarkar and Sunil Gavaskar were among those present at the function.

PTI

Mail Cricket Editor