After that test, we will never see that 5 ft 5 inch man, with jersey no. 10,walking out from the pavilion to bat for team India at no.4 in test cricket. We will never see the little master again, fielding with his round hat. We will never see him celebrating with the players after each and every victory.
“All my life, I have had a dream of playing cricket for India . I have been living this dream every day for the last 24 years. It’s hard for me to imagine a life without playing cricket because it’s all I have ever done since I was 11 years old. It’s been a huge honour to have represented my country and played all over the world. I look forward to playing my 200th Test Match on home soil, as I call it a day.”-Sachin Tendulkar, in his recent statement regarding his retirement.
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar an Indian cricketer widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of his generation. Born in Mumbai, he took up cricket at age of eleven, made his test debut against Pakistan at just sixteen years old, and went on to represent Mumbai domestically and India internationally for more than twenty years.
Tendulkar was born at Nirmal Nursing Home, Dadar, Mumbai, on 24 April 1973. His father Ramesh Tendulkar was a reputed Marathi novelist and his mother Rajni worked in the insurance industry.Ramesh named Tendulkar after his favourite music director, Sachin Dev Burman. Tendulkar has three elder siblings: two half-brothers Nitin and Ajit, and a half-sister Savita. They were Ramesh's children from his first marriage. He spent his formative years in the Sahitya Sahawas Cooperative Housing Society, Bandra (East). As a young boy, Tendulkar was considered a bully, and often picked up fights with new children in his school. He also showed an interest in tennis, idolising John McEnroe. To help curb his mischievous and bullying tendencies, Ajit introduced him to cricket in 1984. He introduced the young Sachin to Ramakant Achrekar, a famous cricket coach and a club cricketer of repute, at Shivaji Park, Dadar.
Achrekar was impressed with Tendulkar's talent and advised him to shift his schooling to Sharadashram Vidyamandir (English) High School, a school at Dadar which had a dominant cricket team and had produced many notable cricketers. Prior to this, Tendulkar had attended the Indian Education Society's New English School in Bandra (East). He was also coached under the guidance of Achrekar at Shivaji Park in the mornings and evenings. Tendulkar would practice for hours on end in the nets. If he became exhausted, Achrekar would put a one-rupee coin on the top of the stumps, and the bowler who dismissed Tendulkar would get the coin. If Tendulkar passed the whole session without getting dismissed, the coach would give him the coin. Tendulkar now considers the 13 coins he won then as some of his most prized possessions. He moved in with his aunt and uncle, who lived near Shivaji Park, during this period, due to his hectic schedule.
Meanwhile at school, he developed a reputation as a child prodigy.
Tendulkar's Mumbai teammates joined in the encomiums but the most memorable ones were from Haryana's Ajay Jadeja, who admitted his side lost the game because they couldn't get Tendulkar out.
"You call him 'god', I've always called him 'master'. But if he is 'god', who can fight with 'god?' Tendulkar showed today that the journey never ends, that learning never stops. He remained not out, that means his score here is infinite. If he had needed to score 30-40 more, he would have done that too. The plan was very simple. We needed to get Sachin out but we couldn't do it."
The debut test: – At 16 years 205 days Sachin Tendulkar made his test debut in Karachi, against the lethal Pakistan bowling attack in the form of Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram. He scored just 15 runs in the 1st test but came back well in the next one by scoring a defiant 59 runs after being hit by a fast bouncer from Waqar.
Sharjah,1998: – India won both the tri-series in Sharjah that year and the man behind that success was –undoubtedly- Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. The mind-blowing innings that he played, particularly against Australia, increased his fan following. I still remember Sachin’s six in the 22nd over of the innings bowled by Shane Warne. The ball went over Warne’s head and he gave a helpless expression to Tendulkar.
Probably because of such batting Shane Warne says,
“I would go to bed having nightmares of Sachin dancing down the ground and hitting me for sixes”.
The next tri series involving Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe was also convincingly won by India. Tendulkar was dismissed by a short pitched bouncer from Henry Olonga in a match but the little master went for the kill in the final. Sachin scored a century and with the help of Saurav Ganguly, the team won the match by 10 wickets. Henry Olonga was nothing before Sachin Tendulkar as he conceded 50 runs in his 6 overs.
He scored a mammoth 709 runs in 10 innings played at Sharjah that year.
Bradman’s Invitation: – Sachin Tendulkar was in the 9th year of his cricketing career when he got a call from the legendary Don Bradman to visit the latter on his 90th birthday. He accompanied Shane Warne as the duo visited Bradman.
Century dedicated to his father: – In a 1999 world cup match against Kenya, he dedicated his century to his departed father. He overcomed his grief and scored a beautiful century.
“1st man on the planet to score 200 in an ODI”: -On 24th February 2009, he became the 1st man to score 200 in ODI history. The way he started that innings, it clearly seemed as if he was heading for a big score. His accurate stroke play was consistent from the 1st ball and after scoring the 200th run, Ravi Shastri said the above phrase from the commentary box.
100th 100: – After the 2011 world cup, billions of Sachin fans waited and waited for the 100th 100. He had got many opportunities of scoring but failed. He was very close to reach that milestone but got out in the 90’s two times(91 at Oval and 94 at Wankhede).
But the day finally came during an Asia cup match against Bangladesh. On 16th March 2012, the world saluted the little master for scoring the most awaited century after which Sachin said- “I have lost 50 kilos”.
200th test: – Sachin Tendulkar has expressed his desire to play this test on home soil i.e. at the Wankhede Stadium.
After that test the Indian team will be without the little master.
After 24 years, there will be no mention of “SACHIN TENDULKAR” in the Indian squad. A great responsibility will rely on the younger players to make up for the loss of- THE MASTER BLASTER.
All sportsmen wish they could be just a bit better. If only the ratio of good days to bad could be rebalanced slightly in your favour. If only the voice of self-doubt were quieter and more easily quelled. If only the threat of being dropped or demoted was not so ever-present..
He indeed is an ICON ...A legend ....A prodigy...There could never be another sachin..
Sachin has been an ERA.
"If cricket is a religion , Sachin will always be its God."
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