Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar has once again charmed his followers with his social media skills. Taking advantage of the trending “Ghibli” filter, he applied it to two iconic moments from India’s 2011 World Cup victory. The images featured Tendulkar being lifted on the shoulders of Virat Kohli and other young players, along with a famous shot of him posing in front of the Gateway of India. The “Ghibli” filter, inspired by the renowned Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli, gave these images an anime-style makeover, transforming them into what they might have looked like if created by the studio.
Studio Ghibli is celebrated for its hand-drawn animation, detailed backgrounds, and emotionally powerful storytelling. With the help of AI chatbots like Grok and ChatGPT, users have embraced this filter to see their photos through an anime lens. Tendulkar, ever the social media wordsmith, shared the images with a playful caption: “AI-sa kuch trend ho raha hai, maine suna. Toh socha, what if Ghibli made cricket? (There’s a trend going on with AI, I heard. So I thought, what if Ghibli made cricket?)”
The 2011 World Cup remains a landmark moment in Indian cricket history. On April 2, in front of a packed Wankhede Stadium, India defeated Sri Lanka to clinch their first World Cup in 28 years. Tendulkar’s long-awaited dream of winning the elusive title finally came true, and the team celebrated the victory in front of their ecstatic fans.
Reflecting on that victory lap, Tendulkar recalled: “The victory lap had one incident when Virat and Yusuf Pathan lifted me, I told them to ensure that I do not fall down,” he shared during a 2021 YouTube interview. The moment of triumph, however, was not just about the Indian team’s win; it symbolized a victory for the entire nation. “It was not just the Indian team that won the World Cup, it was the entire nation, it is all of us who did it.”
Tendulkar also reminisced about the inspiration he drew from the 1983 World Cup win, when he witnessed Kapil Dev lift the trophy. “When I saw Kapil Dev lifting the World Cup in 1983, it was an unbelievable experience. I enjoyed it with my friends and I wanted to chase my dream. I decided what may come, I have to focus and chase my dream of lifting the World Cup.”
He described the 2011 victory at Wankhede as “the best cricketing day of life.” “How many times you have the country celebrate, many few things are there which the entire country celebrates,” Tendulkar added, highlighting the extraordinary significance of that moment.
