The Almighty's details

Personal information

Full name: Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar

Nickname: Little Master, Tendlya, Master Blaster, The Great One

Born: 24 April 1973 (1973-04-24) Bombay, India

Height: 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)

Batting: style Right-handed

Bowling: style Right-arm leg break/off break/medium

Role: Batsman

International information
Test debut (cap 187) 15 November 1989: v Pakistan
ODI debut (cap 74) 18 December 1989: v Pakistan
ODI shirt no. 10

Teams information
Years

Bombay Under-15s (1987/88)
West Zone Under-15s (1987/88)

Bombay Under-17s (1987/88-1988/89)

West Zone Under-17s (1987/88)

Bombay Under-19s (1988/89)

1988–present Mumbai

1992 Yorkshire (Main ListA) ;
Indians (1990-2008)
World XI (1990-1996/97)
Rest of the World XI (1991-1998)
India XI (1993/94-2006/07)
India (1993/94-Present)
Wills' India and Pakistan XI (1995/96)
M Azharuddin's XI (1998/99)
Asian XI (1999/00)
International XI (2006)
2008 Mumbai Indians

Career statistics
Tests ODIs FC LA

Matches played

150 417 250 504

Runs scored

11,877 16,361 20,640 19,913

Batting avg
54.23 44.33 58.63 45.25

100s/50s
39/49 42/89 65/95 53/107

Top score
248* 186* 248* 186*

Balls bowled
3,862 8,009 7,221 10,185

Wickets
42 154 67 201

Bowling average
52.66 44.12 61.20 41.90

5 wickets in innings
0 2 0 2

Best bowling
3/10 5/32 3/10 5/32

Catches

98 122 165 157

Few Records of the Little Master !!!

1)Tendulkar and Brian Lara are the fastest to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket history. Both of them achieved this in 195 innings.
2)On 3 January 2007 Sachin Tendulkar (5751) edged past Brian Lara's (5736) world record of runs scored in Tests away from home.
3)Career Average 54.95 - the highest average among those who have scored over 10,000 Test runs.
4)Highest number of Test centuries (37).
5)Tendulkar's record of five centuries before he turned 20 is a current world record.
6)Tendulkar has scored centuries against all test playing nations. He was the third batman to achieve the distinction after Steve Waugh and Gary Kirsten. The current list also includes Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting, Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, Adam Gilchrist and Marvan Attapattu.
7)Sachin's 37th ton against Bangladesh during the 2007 series 2nd Test, made historyas the 1st time the top four batsman of any team had all scored centuries in asingle innings. Dinesh Karthik made 129, Wasim Jaffer 138 and Rahul Dravid 129 were the other centurions.
ODIs
1)Most Stadium Appearances: 90 different Grounds.
2)Most Runs: 15,703 Runs at just over 44 runs per innings (as of 5th November 2007),. He is the leading run scorer in the ODI format of the game and the only player ever to cross the 15,000 run mark.
3)First player to reach 10,000-11,000-12,000-13,000-14,000 and 15,000 ODI runs.
4)Holds the record for scoring 1,000 ODI runs in a calendar year. He has done it seven times - 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2007
5)Tendulkar has scored over 1000 ODI runs against all major Cricketing nations.
6)Sachin was the fastest to reach 10,000 runs taking 259 innings and has the highest batting average among batsmen with over 10,000 ODI runs
7)Most centuries: 41
8)Only player to have over 100 innings of 50+ runs (41 Centuries and 85 Fifties)(as of 15th Oct, 2007)
9)Fifties: 85. Tendulkar holds the record for the most ODI fifties,
10)Most centuries vs. Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.
11)Most Man of the Match Awards: 55 Man of the Match Awards
12)Most Man of the Series Awards: 14 Man of the Series Awards
13)Most ODI runs in a calendar year: 1,894 ODI runs in 1998.
14)Most Centuries in a calendar year: 9 ODI centuries in 1998
15)Sachin Tendulkar with Sourav Ganguly hold the world record for the maximum number of runs scored by the opening partnership. They have put together 6,271 runs in 128 matches that includes 20 century partnerships and 21 fifty run partnerships
16)20 century partnerships for opening pair is also a world record.
17)Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid hold the world record for the highestpartnership in ODI matches when they scored 331 runs against New Zealand in 1999 at the LBS, Hyderabad
18)Sachin Tendulkar has been involved in six 200 run partnerships in ODI matches - a record that he shares with Sourav Ganguly and Ricky Ponting.
19)Most runs (1,796 at an average of 59.87 as on 20th Mar 2007) in World Cup Cricket History including 4 centuries & 13 fifties with a best score of 152* against Namibia in 2003 world cup.
20)673 runs in 2003 Cricket World Cup, highest by any player in a single Cricket World Cup
21)Tendulkar was the first batsman in history to score over 50 centuries ininternational cricket. He has now scored 78 (37 in Tests, 41 in ODIs).
22)Has the most overall runs in cricket, (ODIs+Tests+Twenty20s), as of 30th June 2007 he had accumulated almost 26,000 runs overall.

Quotes by other players on the master blaster !!!

Don Bradman:
I saw him( Sachin) playing on television and was struck by his technique, so I asked my wife to come look at him. Now I never saw myself play, but I feel that this player is playing much the same as I used to play, and she looked at him on Television and said yes, there is a similarity between the two...hi compactness, technique, stroke production... it all seemed to gel!

Abdul Qadir:
I was fielding in the covers when Tendulkar came out to bat in his debut Test at Karachi. I still remember Waqar Younis was at his peak form at that time. Tendulkar tried to drive Waqar through the covers off his very first ball in Test cricket but was beaten all ends up. But I walked to captain
Imran Khan and told him 'this kid looks very good' and Imran agreed with me. Then came the one-day international at Peshawar, which was reduced due to rain. When Tendulkar came at the crease I told him that not to get bogged down against me and he should try and hit me at all parts of the Arbab Niaz Stadium. It was not that I bowled badly but it was due to his ability that he hit me for I think 24 odd runs in one over.
Then it became a routine for me to chat with young Tendulkar whenever we met in the nets or in the hotel. I used to give him tips how to play spinners and I must admit he was a good listener and always tried to learn. After the home series we went to Sharjah and although Tendulkar didn't score that many runs against my bowling I gave him tips off the field whenever we had time.

Allan Donald:
His shot selection is superb, he just lines you up and can make you look very silly. Everything is right in his technique and judgement. There isn't a fault there. He is also a lovely guy, and over the years I've enjoyed some interesting chats with him… Sachin is in a different class to Lara as a
professional cricketer. He is a model cricketer, and despite the intolerable pressures he faces back home, he remains a really nice guy… Sachin is also the best batsman in the world, pulling away from Brain Lara every year…
We'd heard all about him modelling himself on Sunil Gavaskar, and he had the same neatness, the same time to spare, the same calmness - and a very heavy bat.

Anil Kumble:
I am very privileged to have played with him and seen most of the runs that he has scored. I am also extremely happy to have shared the same dressing room... He is a very reserved person and generally keeps to himself. He is very determined, committed and doesn't show too many emotions. He just goes about doing his job.

Barry Richards:
First and foremost, Tendulkar is an entertainer and that for me is as important factor as any fact or figure. Too often boring players have been pushed forward as great by figures alone. For sheer entertainment, he will keep cricket alive.

Bishen Singh Bedi:
The thing I admire most about this man is his poise. The way he moves, elegantly without ever looking out of place in any condition or company, suggests his pedigree. I remember he had once come to New Delhi in the 1990s to collect his Arjuna Award (India's highest award to its top
sportspersons) and he asked me if I would attend the function. He is a very sensitive human being…..
Sometimes you feel he really hasn't felt the kind of competition in the world his talent deserves. I would have loved to see him perform against top quality cricketers of the previous generation. It would really have brought out the best in him.

Brett Lee:
You might pitch a ball on the off stump and think you have bowled a good ball and he walks across and hits it for two behind mid wicket. His bat looks so heavy but he just waves it around like it's a toothpick.

Brian Lara:
Sachin is a genius. I'm a mere mortal.

Clive Lloyd:
He is a tremendous cricketer. He is young and has got a lot of ability. He's got his own style. He has got the temperament for big cricket and I hope that he goes from strength to strength.

David Gower:
For Sachin the balance is there. He is quick to complete his shot. He covers the crease much better than mere mortals.

Dennis Lillee:
If I'm to bowl to Sachin, I will bowl with my helmet on. He hits the ball so hard.

Erapalli Prassana:
In the early years, especially around the mid 90s, I had this feeling you could play around on his ego and get him out. He believed he could attack bowlers at any time and anyone who could bowl maidens to him stood a good chance. Things are of course different now.

Graeme Pollock:
Tendulkar is the best in the world at the moment. Why I've always liked him is that batsmen tend to be negative at times and I think batting is not about not getting out - it is to play positively. I think you got to take it to the bowlers and Sachin is one such player. When you do so, you change the
game, you change bowlers because they suddenly start bowling badly because they are under pressure.

Greg Chappel:
I'd like to see him go out one day and bat with a stump. I tell you he'd do OK…. I just get the feeling because of his mental strength that Sachin will be definitely the best player of his era and probably the best 2-3 of all time.

Ian Chappel:
Whenever I see Sachin play I am reminded of the Graeme Pollock quote of Cricket being a 'see the ball, hit the ball game.' He hits the ball as if it's there to be hit.

Shane Warne:
I'll be going to bed having nightmares of Sachin just running down the wicket and belting me back over the head for six... I don't think anyone, apart from Don Bradman, is in the same class as Sachin Tendulkar. He is just an amazing player.

Steve Waugh:
You take Don Bradman away and he is next up, I reckon.

Wasim Akram:
Eleven years ago when he first played against us in Pakistan, I remember (Imran) telling us this youngster (Tendulkar) is destined for big things. Imran took an immense liking to the determined youngster and I think he (Tendulkar) has not really disappointed in fulfilling his potential. I would
have loved to bowl to him in my prime say six years ago. I could not do that because of the tense cricket relations between Pakistan and India. It is one of the biggest regrets of my cricket career. But the last time I bowled to him in a Test.

Viv Richards:
I think he's marvellous. I think he will fit in whatever category of cricket that's been played or will be played, from the first ball that's ever been bowled to the last ball that's going to be. He can play in any era and at any level... What he looks to do first is to attack. If it's not there in the groove he waits for the line and defends. Most of the time batsmen, just because it could be a fearsome fast bowler they are facing, tend to defend. But Sachin's always ready. He's always in a position to take advantage of loose balls... He has something special. He's blessed. I would say he's 99.5 per cent perfect... Even if he retires tomorrow and doesn't achieve
anything more he is right there. I have never seen Bradman but heard people talk about him. But I tell you what, if Bradman could
bat like this man does then he was dynamite. Players like Sachin deserve to be preserved in cotton wool.

Its Whizcraft - TOM ALTER

Dominance is not the right word. Yes, Sachin Tendulkar dominates. But there is no subtlety in
dominating— no sense of the art in the craft. Because, Sachin, like no other batsman today, brings
art into his craft, and craft into his art. So when he dom- inates— even when he swears revenge on
a bowler who has got him out cheaply— Sachin’s madness always has a method. Viv Richards was
more of the madness, Sunil Gavaskar more of the method. Sachin— well, Sachin is the best of both.
Just over 10 years ago, I sat in the office of Sportsweek magazine with that same Sunil Gavaskar.
Ayaz Memon and I were listening to Gavaskar in one of his rare, priceless moods. The ‘Little Master’
was delving deep into his own experience, his own genius, and bringing forth pearls of wisdom as
sudden, and as effective, as his straight- drives back past the bowler. Then Gavaskar came up with
the following statement (remember, this was in 1988, when Dilip Vengsarkar was about to become
captain of India): "The two best batsmen in Bombay today are Vengsarkar and Sachin Tendulkar."
Full stop. End of statement. The ball crosses the boundary-line underneath the sight- screen.
Sachin was 15 at the time. His immense partnership with Vinod Kambli was already part of
cricketing lore, and his name was there to be read in the fine- print almost every day. But he had
only played for his school. Yet Gavaskar was certain.And a few months later, when we were planning
a sports- video for Sportsweek , Gavaskar’s words still filled my mind. I wanted to interview
Vengsarkar and Tendulkar, the two best batsmen in Bombay.I had always been a fan of Vengsarkar’s,
and I knew that he has suffered from being a Shashi Kapoor to Gavaskar’s Amitabh Bachchan. But
Gavaskar had retired, so Vengsarkar was free to be his own man.Vengsarkar was ready and willing
for the interview, and we decided to shoot it on the Marine Drive side of Hindu Gymkhana. When we
enquired from Vengsarkar about Sachin, he told us that Sachin had net- practice with the Bombay
team at Wankhede Stadium that morning. (Sachin had, by the time of interview, played for Bombay,
and scored a century in his first Ranji Trophy match.)
Vengsarkar joined us at the nets, and the first sight I had of Sachin was him playing an off- drive
on the ‘up’. And as I watched the stroke, Vengsarkar said: "Sachin Tendulkar’s weakness is going for
his shots on the off side, and loft- ing them." It was ten years ago that Vengsarkar said that.
Today, just watch the off- side fields set for Sachin when he first comes in to bat. The opponents
are planning— almost desperately— for that same alleged weakness of Sachin’s to appear.Very seldom
do they succeed. For Sachin Tendulkar has taken the art of driving on the ‘up’, and crafted it into
one of the most breathtaking shots of modern cricket. Art and craft. The secret of Sachin.
Eventually, 10 years ago, Sachin had batted enough, and we took him to the Hindu Gymkhana. I
interviewed him with a match going on in the background. Sachin was shy, but confident. He spoke
only enough to get his point across. He was not at all nervous about the interview, and treated it as
a necessary experience. At the age of 15.Ten years later, he speaks easier, and more often. But the
confidence is the same. Not bravado, not ego. Just a deep confidence in his art, his craft. The
essential Sachin has not changed.
In our interview, four points stood out. Firstly, Sachin stated that Gavaskar and Richards were his
heroes. Secondly, Sachin, without hesitation, said that he could read Hirwani’s googly, and was ready
to face the West Indian fast- bowlers. (In fact, he said he prefers fast bowling.)Thirdly, when asked
whether he grew tired of batting while with Kambli in that mammoth partnership, Sachin’s reply was
almost an unbelieving shake of the head. And fourthly, Sachin made it very clear that being
compared with Gavaskar was a bit embarrassing for him, and that he simply wanted to play his own,
"natural" game.
The inspiration of Gavaskar and Richards, the confidence to face any type of bowling, the love for
fast bowling, the desire to play and play, and, finally, the knowledge that your skill is unique— these
ingredients made Sachin a very special 15- year old, and they still make him a very, very special
25- year- old.
After the interview, we had Sachin walk across to where he had left his bat and kit- bag, pick up
his bat thoughtfully, look into the distance, and then pick up his kit- bag too, and walk out towards
Marine Drive and into the future. It was a shot which any veteran actor would have rehearsed
several times, and probably muffed just as often. Sachin did it— first take ‘OK’. It was as natural
as his batting. Ten years later, he faces the cameras for umpteen ad- films with the same
uncluttered ease.
Will Sachin still be as uncluttered, as natural, 10 years from now?
I write this soon after Sachin’s century in the second innings of the first match of the New Zealand
tour. It was a match of no apparent importance, beyond getting to know the conditions.
And yet, Sachin played a knock of amazing skill and determination.
Why?
Because he, and India, had failed in the first innings. And Sachin Tendulkar knew how important it
was for him to not only succeed in the second innings, but dominate with his art and craft. Which
he proceeded to do. Remember the knock against Shane Warne for Mumbai in the first match of
Australia’s tour of India this year? Another apparently insignificant match. But Sachin used it to set
the tone for an entire series. A series which will be written about for decades. A series which made
Sachin a mythical legend.
Ten years from now, Sachin Tendulkar will still be doing just that— playing the game he loves to
play to the best of his immense ability. It is as simple as that.
And just think— 10 years from now, Sachin will be only 35. He could still play for another 10 years
after that.
And they will still be setting those off-side fields for him, trying to get him to drive on the ‘up’.
Once again, it’s as simple as that.
And I will be showing my grandchildren the tape of Sachin’s interview.
In the year 2018.
Source: Outlook

By far the best i have seen or played against- ALLAN DONALD

Sachin Tendulkar has often reminded me of a veteran army colonel who has many medals on his
chest to show how he has conquered bowlers all over the world. Which is why I find it amusing when
critics suggest that he plays well only at home. Do they realise that they are talking about a guy
who has scored centuries in almost all the Test-playing countries?
I must admit that I was not entirely convinced that Tendulkar had something special about him when
I first heard about him. It was prior to South Africa's return to world cricket that the "Tendulkar
buzz" was heard around the county circuit. He played a season for Yorkshire, but did not really get
going. However, he did score one century in a Sunday League, the rerun of which I saw on
television. There was a lot of Sunil Gavaskar in his style, and he also had the balance that nobody
else possessed. But these were glimpses of potential and I did not think he would be consistently good
for a long period of time.
How wrong I was. Tendulkar got better and better with each passing year and today he is the most
frightening batsman as far as bowlers across the world are concerned. Everybody is king at home,
and scoring heavily in your backyard has never really impressed me. However, Tendulkar has 16
centuries outside India, which is more than half of all his centuries. Many quality batsmen end up
with that many centuries in their entire career, so that number is a clear indication that we are
talking about a freak player - someone who is as good and as consistent abroad as he is at home.
As a bowler you have to have your gameplan ready before bowling to Tendulkar. Sachin looks to leave
a lot of balls in the beginning, and as a bowler your best chance against him is in the first 20
minutes. During our team meetings, we often speak about the importance of the first 12 balls to
Tendulkar. If you get him then you can thank your stars, otherwise it could mean that tough times
lie ahead.
Consistency is the factor that makes Tendulkar special. He is often spoken about in the same breath
as Brian Lara, but as far as I am concerned, the comparison does not even begin. Lara is not half
as consistent as Tendulkar and lacks the discipline of the latter. The left-hander plays in a more
loose manner and is not that controlled or patient during the first 20 minutes of his innings. Lara
was unbelievable in 1994, but he has never been able to recreate that magic consistently after that
Which is why I rate my dismissal of Tendulkar at Durban in 1996 as the best ball I've ever bowled
in Test cricket. I remember that over very clearly. Tendulkar had just hit me for two boundaries,
but I decided to stick to my outside-the-off-stump line. The ball just nipped back sharply and
claimed his off-stump. It was a perfect ball and, more importantly, exposed a tiny chink in the army
colonel's armour. Since then we have worked on bowling that ball against Tendulkar and have had
some degree of success with it. At 29, Tendulkar is at the middle of his career and from hereon he can score another 15 to 20
centuries, taking him close to the 50-century mark. He will continue to terrorise bowlers for another
six to eight years, and, hopefully, he will be able to keep the motivation going.
Great players often decide to retire out of the blue. This is particularly common among those who are
family men because they find it increasingly difficult to spend time away from their near and dear
ones. I've heard that Tendulkar is deeply attached to his children and might face such a crisis.
However, like many admirers all over the world, I certainly hope that he succeeds in keeping his
focus on the game for many more years. I think he owes it to the game and to his admirers. ALLAN DONALD'the white lightning'

"Yet another Sachin Failure" - The story behind : Anon Payn

One bad series from the Master (read: Test Series in Sri Lanka) and we have these so called cricket
analysts mushrooming from all corners claiming it to be "yet another failure" when the fact remains
that despite all the talk of India's fab four, Tendulkar remains India's premier bet.
The last time he was written off was after the 2007 World Cup, when he had performed reasonably
well in the series before that winning the "Man of the Series" in the ODI series against the West
Indies at home.
True the loaded Indian batting line up couldn't find their way past Bangladesh in that tournament
once Sachin failed. Another failure against the Lankans encouraged some publicity hungry maniacs to
make uncalled for statements like "He should take a look in the mirror" and "He's just a comic hero
now".
Perhaps Sachin remains the only batsman in cricket history to be criticized so heavily for two
failures, don't remember any of the Chappell brothers commenting on Inzy's retirement when he
returned binary figures in 2003 World Cup.
Now let's see what transpired after the WC 07.
Test Tour of Bangladesh Series: Tendulkar wins the mantle of "Minnow Basher", piling two tons and
getting adjudged the "Man of the Series".
Future Cup in Ireland (ODIs): With scores like 99, 93 and 8 from three innings against South Africa
Sachin top scores in the series, once again taking away the honors. But he manages only 4 against
the mighty Irish attack.
Tour of England (Tests): Chooses to look ordinary to play two crucial innings of 91 and 82 which are
instrumental in India beating England in England for the first time in a Test series since 1986. Is
criticized for not hooking when a deep square leg is intentionally placed and the bowlers are
deliberately bowling short.
Tour of England (ODIs): With scores of 99, 55, 72 and 94 Sachin proves to be India's most effective
and highest scoring batsman yet again. India go 3-1 down in the series after 4 matches, but riding
on the back of knocks such as 72 in 59 balls and 94 in 81 from the Premier Batsman of the World,
India take it to the last match . Is a victim of two massive umpiring blunders, one of them denying
him a ton by one run, and the other in the final ODI. Is still criticized for not playing a match
winning knock in the final. (Interestingly for Sachin critics it's only the last match of a series that
always matters!)
Australia's Tour of India (ODIs): Tendulkar again amongst runs when most other bats struggle. Two
knocks of over 70 and a one in the 40s come at important moments. Again the top scorer in the
series for India.
Pakistan's Tour of India (ODIs): Unforgettable knocks of 99 and 97 against Pakistan. The latter is
studded with 11 boundaries when he crosses 50.
Pakistan's Tour of India (Tests): An unbeaten fifty in the fourth inning at Delhi and score of over 80
in the first inning at Kolkata before injury strikes, curtailing the series with just three innings
played for Tendulkar.
Tour of Australia (Tests): Minnow bashing resumes down under. Sachin is the single most important
reason for India's fight in the ill tempered series. Top run getter for either side in the series with
493 runs, silencing critics with an inspiring, memorable and mesmerizing performance.
Tour of Australia (ODIs; Tri Series): Reverses law of averages, is dismissed cheaply in a few group
stage matches, but saves his best for the last. The last 3 innings produce scores of 63, 117* and 91.
The first ensures a birth in the best of three finals, and the latter two seal the tournament after
just the first two finals, encoring the famous Sharjah performance.
Nine good series sandwiched between two bad ones (the World Cup and the Sri Lanka Test series), out
of which the series against South Africa in Ireland, the English ODI series, the Tests and the CB
tri-series Down Under were definitely outstanding.
Not the story of a player who, apparently, plays a good knock only once in 6-7 years, and definitely
not of someone who is past his prime.
PS: By the way, didn't hear any suggestions for the miraculously consistent Jaques Kallis after a
disastrous England tour. Surprisingly, it wasn't even discussed as much as a single Tendulkar failure
is.

I come to celebrate Sachin.. not to praise him!! - Tom Alter

What is there left to say about the man?
Words are now as meaningless as runs , Let us celebrate -- and there is so much to celebrate!
Let us keep the celebrations simple and joyful -- let the combined Shivaji Parks of our hearts be not
raucous and boastful, but smiling and united.
He has gifted us with a century of Tests -- let us close our eyes and see him again on that day in
late '89, walking out to battle for the first time, ready to face Imran and Wasim and Waqar,
dragging his bat behind him like a reluctant schoolbag on its way to the bus-stop; then keep our eyes
closed and pray for another century of Tests, for there will never be another like him.
Let us celebrate all the mornings he also has gifted us -- the mornings when we wake and know he
will bat today; the mornings when tea is especially good and hot, and the air clearer and crisper --
only because we feel blessed inside, waiting to see him play.
Let us celebrate all the evenings when we gather to discuss him, or simply walk alone, imaginary bat
in hand, playing the magical shots in our fantasies that only he can play in reality.
Let us celebrate his mannerisms -- that peering out from his helmet, still wide-eyed as a schoolboy;
that waving of the arm and hand when someone moves near the sightscreen; that bending of the knee
and slight hitch of the crotch between shots; that swallowing and then swallowing again, which -- on
the screen -- looks so much like minor bouts of indigestion; that scrambling scamper between the
wickets; that looking to the heavens -- in memory of his father -- when he reaches another
milestone; that sudden, sunburst of a grin when he takes a wicket; that look of disbelief at his bat
when he finally gets out. Let us celebrate the year 1998, when he conquered -- no, not conquered, but slaughtered -- the
Aussies at home and in Sharjah; the knock at the Brabourne for Mumbai, when he won the series
before it even started on a day when he was Batman and Superman and Chacha Choudury all in one
-- and that night in the desert, when the storm blew and blew and he just played on and on and on.
That was the year when he was invincible, and spoiled an entire nation into believing in his
invincibility.
Let us celebrate the earlier years, when he was a mop of hair attached to a cricket bat which
swished and swatted in gay abandon; when he realized, against New Zealand, the secret of batting
like a hurricane in the first fifteen overs of one-day matches; when he was building up his legend --
not step by step, but leap by leap.
Let us celebrate -- also -- those moments when the gods decided they must put him in his place, lest
he overtake even them in greatness; above all, those two moments against Pakistan in ’99 -- the
year those gods took away from Sachin -- when he was out on the brink of victory at Chennai, and
"pushed out" by Shoaib in Calcutta. Both times Sachin -- who likes nothing more than winning --
had battled with a nobility and a grace that even the Pakistanis were awed by; and both times the
gods dismissed him when no one else could. As he walked around Eden Gardens that day -- calming
down the crowd who were so upset about his being given out -- the look on his face was a century
older than his young body.
But -- most of all -- let us celebrate two things; cricket, the game which Sachin graces as few
others have done in the history of the noble game, and this -- the fourth Test in a wonderful series.
No better script could have been written -- even all the ad-film makers, for whom Sachin sells their
products and his own soul, could have dreamed up such a perfect moment. In the almost obscene irony of the standoff between the ICC and Indian players, this is what must be
remembered -- cricket, the game that made it all possible; both the fourth Test, and the standoff.
What a game it is, this game of cricket -- and let us concentrate on Test cricket, for we are
celebrating Sachin's hundreth Test. That is what is so special -- because Test cricket is so special.
The challenge, the flow of time and runs, the waxing and waning of light and momentum, the fresh
smile of the morning giving way to the sunburnt grimace of the afternoon, then the fading evening
kindly offering one more over -- it is a blessed time, and Sachin, as we said, has blessed us with a
century of these times.
And India and England 1-1, with only this fourth Test to play? Indian routed in the first, then
courageously saving the second, then crushing the oldest foe in the third? Sourav and Rahul and
Sachin all scoring centuries in the same innings -- can Aamir and Shahrukh and Salman all be
superstars in the same film? And Sachin answering all his ridiculous, childish, foolish critics with
the determined majesty of his bat?
It is cricket, it is drama, it is art, it is life -- and we will celebrate it together. All of us -- the
ICC and all of India and most of the cricketing world.
Sachin, if India wins, we will be filled with a joy that passeth understanding; if India wins and you
score a century -- well, I know it might just happen, so I will not even try to describe that joy.
But -- if you do not score a century and India loses -- the celebration will still go on. Just as
cricket -- and you -- will, too.
Sachin -- thanks for so, so much.
What more can we way?
Except that the tea tomorrow is going to taste like heaven.
Tom Alter is one of the leading personas in the film, TV, and theatre world. Born and raised in
Mussoorie, Alter is also a writer, commentator and compere.