Sachin Tendulkar, often praised for his masterful batting and calm demeanor, also has a great sense of humor. Known for his brilliant memory and quick wit, the cricket legend recently reminded commentator Mark Nicholas that while he may not be listed on the Lord’s honours board, he did score a century at the iconic ground—just not in a traditional international match.
At Lord’s, players earn a spot on the honours board by scoring a century or taking five wickets in a Test or ODI. Despite his unmatched career, Tendulkar’s name is not among those inscribed, making him one of the greatest cricketers to miss out on this specific recognition.
During the unveiling of Tendulkar’s portrait at the MCC Museum, Mark Nicholas made a cheeky remark, “You (Tendulkar) didn’t get on the Lord’s Honours Board. What happened? High-quality English bowling, I imagine."
Tendulkar quickly responded with a smile, recalling a special memory, “I thought that in 1998, when we played a memorial game, I got a hundred then. Glenn McGrath, Allan Donald, Srinath, Kumble, and McMillan… But one normally thinks about having your name on the Honours Board. Somehow it wasn’t meant to happen, but it did happen.”
He was referring to a Rest of the World XI match against MCC, where he scored a match-winning century and was named player of the match, facing a team filled with legendary bowlers.
To honor Tendulkar’s incredible cricket journey, a striking portrait of him was recently revealed at the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) Museum at Lord’s. This portrait stands out as a close-up of his head and shoulders, offering an emotional and powerful depiction rather than a full-body painting.
The artist behind this work is Stuart Pearson Wright, who used a photo taken 18 years ago at Tendulkar’s home in Mumbai as his reference.
This is the fifth portrait of an Indian cricketer in the MCC collection. The other Indian icons whose portraits are displayed there include Kapil Dev, Bishan Singh Bedi, and Dilip Vengsarkar—with most of them also painted by Wright.
Sachin Tendulkar remains the highest run-scorer in international cricket history, with a staggering 34,357 runs across all formats. He is also the only player in the world to score 100 international centuries, a feat unlikely to be matched any time soon.
