Former CSK batter Subramaniam Badrinath stated that players in the current Indian team have many people around them to take care of even their most basic needs as well. The supposed superstar culture within Indian cricket over the past few years has divided opinions as well. Yet, Badrinath recalled how his era’s ultimate superstar, Sachin Tendulkar, maintained utmost simplicity throughout his career.

Talking about this, Badrinath said on his YouTube channel, Cric it with Badri, “What we hear from the current Indian team is that a few players have several people as managers and others to carry their bags or even switch on the fan for them. However, when I played, the superstar was Sachin Tendulkar. I’ve never seen him show off like that. In fact, Sachin used to stay in whatever room was given to him. He used to not even sleep on his bed and instead sleep on the floor because he liked sleeping on the floor.”

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On the other hand, former Indian fielding coach R Sridhar said a superstar must consistently win matches while also drawing a large audience. Sridhar also added that superstars only add value to the team culture, contrary to popular belief as well.

“A superstar is one who wins you matches consistently, the stadium is full when you play, and people are glued to the TV to watch you. You have to win 3 matches out of five to be a superstar and not just do five ads. This is what the likes of Kohli, Tendulkar, Dhoni, Bumrah, and Ashwin have done. See how many matches Ashwin and Bumrah have won for the team. Hence, they are superstars,” said Sridhar.

“Similarly, Virat Kohli, it’s why he’s called the chase master. MS purely for his finishing ability. All this while bringing eyeballs to the game and increasing the popularity of the game. The great superstars also don’t disrespect the team culture. If anything, they add value to the team culture,” he concluded.