‘Our achievements reflect the diversity of our country’ – Tendulkar urges Indians to celebrate non-cricket sports | Cricket News

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar commemorated National Sports Day on Friday with a message celebrating India’s sporting achievements across various disciplines and encouraging people to embrace fitness. He specifically praised recent young champions while highlighting the nation’s growing sporting diversity beyond cricket.Tendulkar shared his thoughts on social media platform X, expressing pride in India’s expanding sports achievements.

Sachin post on X

Sachin’s post on X
“I am proud to celebrate the great strides that India has made in the field of sports on National Sports Day. Currently, our sporting achievements are not limited to one or two marquee sports, but instead reflect the diversity of our country and the diversity of our people,” Tendulkar posted.He acknowledged recent accomplishments of young athletes including Divya Deshmukh, the youngest FIDE Women’s World Cup Chess champion, D. Gukesh, the youngest men’s winner, wrestler Rachana’s gold at U17 World Championship 2025, and Naisha Mehta’s gold in Junior Girls Solo Dance at the Asian Roller Skating Championship.“Excelling in sports is something to be extremely proud of, but just as important is the way in which athletes can inspire everyone, young, old, healthy, or differently abled, to try something new, push themselves to their limits, or simply relax through light physical activity,” he wrote.Tendulkar also recognized achievements in lesser-known sports, mentioning Tulika Maan in judo and the historic lawn bowls women’s team of Rupa Rani Tirkey, Lovely Choubey, Pinki, and Nayanmoni Saikia, who secured gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
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He noted the development of domestic leagues across multiple sports including football, kabaddi, volleyball, badminton, handball and hockey, which have helped nurture talent beyond cricket.National Sports Day is celebrated annually on August 29, marking the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand, who led India to three Olympic gold medals in 1928, 1932, and 1936.The day, first observed in 1995 and nationally recognized since 2012, has evolved into a symbol of India’s dedication to health, fitness, and sporting excellence.This year’s celebration features a three-day nationwide sports and fitness movement from August 29-31, organized by the Fit India Mission under the theme ‘Ek Ghanta, Khel ke Maidan Main’.