Saturday evening in Mumbai was the day of the BCCI award, which was known as the Naman Award 2025. Legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was honoured with the Col. C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award. At the end of the evening ceremony, the legendary cricketer gave valuable advice to the new generation of cricketers.

Col. C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award: Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar tirelessly served India in international cricket for about 24 years. The right-handed batter recorded 15921 Test runs, 18426 ODI runs, along with 10 T20I runs. Also, as a spinner, he took 46 Test wickets, 154 ODI wickets, and only one T20I wicket. He made huge contributions to the national team, which achieved massive international successes during his period, including winning the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

For his incredible talent and great behaviour, Sachin is respected by the entire cricket world, as he lifted the country's name to the top in the best possible way. 

Also Watch: Everyone stands for Sachin Tendulkar during BCCI Naman award show

Sachin Tendulkar inspired Indian youngsters

During the Naman 2025 ceremony, the anchor of the evening, Harsha Bhogle, asked Sachin Tendulkar to end the evening with his inspirational speech to the new generation of Indian cricket. 

On the special evening, Sachin said, "I think I would say without cricket, all of us wouldn't be sitting in this room. See, for me, it has been the ultimate gift of my life. 

"We have bat and ball, and if there is no solid grip over that, you start losing grip over bat and ball. You kind of slowly start losing grip over your career also. I should not be giving you advice and saying stay focused whatever but there'll be distractions. Don't let them disrupt your career. Value everything that we have and look after your game. 

"It is about we all have managed when we did not have anything. It is important to value when we have everything and behave in the appropriate manner to take the game forward and the country's name. 

"Like I said, you all are current cricketers there is plenty of cricket left in you. Just go out, give your best, and make the most of this opportunity because you'll only realise once you've stopped playing cricket, where you were a few years ago. So, all the very best to you."

💬💬 Don’t let distractions disrupt your career, value everything you have, take the game and country’s name forward.

𝗖𝗼𝗹. 𝗖.𝗞. 𝗡𝗮𝘆𝘂𝗱𝘂 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 winner @sachin_rt's inspirational message to all the cricketers 🙌#NamanAwards pic.twitter.com/5Tyq71ikCk

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 1, 2025

The important BCCI Naman Awards for 2025 was an exciting event where we clapped for the cricket players from India who achieved impressive feats last year. But Virat Kohli wasn't there. Kohli's incredibly well-known and is continuously participating in cricket matches for India. Kohli's been doing that for over 10 years. 

Why Did Virat Kohli Skip the BCCI Naman Awards 2025?

Virat Kohli couldn't come to the event because he was playing a major game for his team from Delhi. They played against Railways. Virat, who is very good at cricket and hasn't played with his local team for 13 years, truly wished to do his best for Delhi. The game was in Delhi, and Delhi's team won the game very quickly. They beat Railways by a lot their score was a whole set of plays and 19 runs more.

Despite the early finish, the logistical challenge of traveling from Delhi to Mumbai in such a short span made it impractical for Kohli to attend the ceremony. Moreover, he was not among the awardees this time, which might have influenced his decision to stay back and celebrate the win with his teammates.

Virat Kohli is not at the BCCI Award function at Taj Colaba. So far. Understandable, he was in Delhi for the Ranji game. Incidentally, he had missed last year's event too, in Hyderabad. @BCCI

— Vijay Tagore (@vijaymirror) February 1, 2025

A Commitment to Domestic Cricket

Kohli playing in the Ranji Trophy . He came back to play even though it's not the fanciest tournament. Because Kohli was there, the younger players felt top rate and it showed that this cricket match is vitally important. He chose to be with his team instead of going to a fancy event where they give out prizes, and that shows he cares very much about spending a lot of time playing cricket. While fans missed seeing him at the Naman Awards, Kohli’s commitment to playing domestic cricket showcases his passion for the sport. His absence was not due to any controversy or personal reasons but simply a matter of professional commitment.

ALSO READ: BCCI Naman Awards 2025: Check all the award winners

Kohli is playing cricket at home now, and everyone who likes him can't wait to see him in action. They think this will make him even better at cricket. He's putting in a lot of effort with the Delhi team in the Ranji Trophy, and this might help young ones, who want to be on the India cricket team someday, feel happy and work hard too. Although he skipped the Naman Awards this year, his contributions to Indian cricket remain unparalleled. As always, Virat Kohli continues to let his game do the talking, whether on the international stage or in domestic competitions.