Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar extends wishes to his "idol" Viv Richards on his 72nd birthday

Sachin took X, to wish Richards on his 72md birthday and wrote, "The way he dominated bowling attacks across the world was an inspiration for me while I was growing up. Happy birthday to one of my idols! @ivivianrichards."

https://x.com/sachin_rt/status/1765684965969134018?s=20

The former West Indies batting legend from 1974-1991 represented Windies in 121 Tests, scoring 8.540 runs at an average of 50.23. He scored 24 centuries and 45 fifties in 182 innings, with his best score being 291. He is the third-highest run-scorer in Tests for West Indies.

Richards is considered to be one of those batters who revolutionised ODI cricket, executing all kinds of high-risk shots and pushing for aggressive runs when the world was still getting used to the concept of short format.

In 187 ODIs, he scored 6,721 runs at an average of 47.00, with 11 centuries and 45 fifties in 167 innings. His best score was 189* and his strike rate was 90.20. He is the fifth-highest run-getter for the Windies.

During his remarkable playing days, Richards was a member of the West Indies teams that won the 1975 and 1979 Cricket World Cup titles. Though he did not do well in the 1975 WC, he scored 217 runs in the 1979 WC in four matches, including 138 against England in the final.

He broke a number of records while entertaining the crowd with his bewitching strokes. While, scoring a 58-ball 110* against England in 1986, with seven fours and seven sixes, Richards not only had the fastest Test century of that time in 56 balls but also the first Test ton with a 150-plus strike rate, batting at an exceptional strike rate of 189.65.

During an ODI against New Zealand in 1987, Richards became the first-ever cricketer to score a century (119) and take a five-wicket haul (5/41) in an ODI.

The 2009 ICC Hall of Fame inductee was also the first-ever player to complete a double of 1,000 runs and 50 wickets in ODI history. With 32 Test wickets and 118 ODI wickets as well, Richards was a true all-rounder. (ANI)