Gratitude from the Greatest: Sachin Tendulkar's portrait unveiled at Lord's

Sports News: A portrait of the cricketing legend and India's icon, Sachin Tendulkar, was unveiled at Lord's before the start of the day's play. Tendulkar was also seen watching the match closely as a spectator in a dapper suit. The picture, painted by Stuart Pearson Wright from a photograph shot at the artist's home 18 years ago, will be shown at the MCC Museum until later this year, when it will be moved to the Pavilion. Pearson Wright has previously drawn portraits of Kapil Dev, Bishan Singh Bedi, and Dilip Vengsarkar.

Tendulkar's statement

Tendulkar was quoted as saying, "It's a huge honour. In 1983, when India won the World Cup, it was my first introduction to Lord's." "I saw our captain, Kapil Dev, lift the trophy. That moment sparked my cricketing journey. Today, with my portrait going up inside the Pavilion, it feels like it's come full circle. When I reflect on my career, it brings a smile to my face. This is truly special. Unlike the previous paintings, which were full-length, the portrait of Tendulkar is a larger-than-life image of his head and shoulders," the release said.

The painter says

Pearson Wright, the famous painter known for drawing portraits of cricketing legends, said, "It was clear that MCC didn't want this portrait to be in the same format as the previous Indian cricket portraits I made, so a fresh approach was taken with this one. I decided on a composition that focused more on Sachin's head and also used a heroic, larger-than-life size scale to give the painting a sense of gravitas and power."

"I have often painted a portrait with an abstract background, often a plain color, rather than paint a rendition of an interior or exterior space. This is largely to give focus to the subject's features and to minimize a context that might define the subject in some way," the release said.

Tendulkar rings the iconic Lord's bell

Sachin Tendulkar was not just honored by the unveiling of his portrait, but the ICC Hall of Fame also got the chance to ring the bell at the iconic Lord's. The ring of the bell is a tradition at Lord's, which means that the game is all set to begin. Tendulkar was also spotted watching and supporting team India from the stands.