New Delhi, February 8 Chennai Singams' Jagannath Sarkar said driving the Porsche 911, his reward for emerging as the Most Valuable Player of the 3rd Indian Street Premier League (ISPL), with cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar as a co-passenger, was the "best moment" of his life.
Chennai Singams delivered a comprehensive performance to defeat the Kolkata Tigers by 29 runs in the final and win their first ISPL title on Friday.
"Driving the car with Sachin sir was the best moment of my life. I can say that I have achieved everything I wanted in life," Sarkar said.
The MVP winner was determined based on a points system, with 80 percent weightage for performance and 20 percent for fan votes.
On winning the Porsche 911, he said, "I am very happy because it was my dream from the beginning to participate in the ISPL qualifiers, reach the final, and win it. Then I also became the MVP. God has given me all this happiness at the same time.
"The hard work we have put in and the love I have received from people, especially through the votes, is something I can't express in words."
Sarkar is a prominent tennis-ball cricketer from West Bengal who starred in the recently concluded ISPL season, representing the Chennai Singams.
Speaking about the ISPL platform, he said, "ISPL has given us such a platform and an identity. Earlier, we were always asked what tennis-ball cricketers do apart from playing cricket. ISPL has changed that. Now people know us, they recognise us.
"I would like to give credit to Sachin (Tendulkar) sir, Suraj (Samat) sir, Deepak (Chauhan) sir, Amol (Kale) sir, and Ashish (Shelar) sir for giving us players like us this opportunity. They have given us recognition, fame, and money.
"A cricketer has found professionalism in life. Today, wherever we go, people recognize us as ISPL players. That is the kind of impact ISPL has had on our lives."