Sachin Tendulkar, Allen Donald inducted into ICC Hall of Fame

London: Indian batting icon Sachin Tendulkar has been inducted into the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Hall of Fame alongside South African pace legend Allan Donald.

Tendulkar became the sixth Indian to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame, the previous bigwigs being Sunil Gavaskar, Bishan Singh Bedi, Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid.

Joining Tendulkar and Donald in the Hall of Fame was two-time World Cup-winning Australian woman cricketer Cathryn Fitzpatrick.

"It is an honour to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, which cherishes the contribution of cricketers over generations. They have all contributed to the growth and popularity of the game and I am happy to have done my bit," Tendulkar said at the induction ceremony held here.

He thanked his family and coach, who has supported him in his journey in international cricket for close to two and half decades. "On this occasion, I would like to thank all of those who were by my side over a long international career. My parents, brother Ajit and wife Anjali have been pillars of strength while I was lucky to have someone like coach Ramakant Achrekar as an early guide and mentor," the maestro said.

Tendulkar, the most prolific batsman in history, was inducted immediately after becoming eligible for induction, which requires that a player should have played his last international match at least five years before.

The 46-year-old former right-hand batsman is regarded the greatest to have played the game along with Sir Donald Bradman and remains the top run-accumulator in both Tests and ODIs.