GOD

The year was 1989, Pakistan. The official one-dayer had been abandoned because of bad light and a 20-over exhibition match was organized instead. The Little Master had recently made his debut in Pakistan. Sachin Tendulkar, not even old enough to get a driving license, was facing the best bowlers in the business. As the Pakistani crowds jeered and mocked Sachin holding out the placards saying, ”Dudh Pita Bachcha, ghar jaake dhoodh pee”(Milk drinking baby,go home and drink milk), Sachin sent the young leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed hiding for cover as he hit him for two sixes in one over. The frustrated mentor of Mushtaq Ahmed, the legendary Abdul Qadir challenged Sachin saying, “Bachchon ko kyun maar rahe ho? Hamein bhi maar dikhao”(Why are you hitting kids. Try and Hit me too). AQ then decided to bring himself in action and before the commencement of his over he went towards Sachin and said,”Main tumhe maarne nahi dunga”(I will not allow you to hit). To which Sachin obliged, “Main aapko kaise maar sakta hu. Aap toh bahot bade bowler ho”(How can I hit you. You are a great bowler). He was tacit and let his bat did the talking. AQ had made a simple request and Sachin indebted, and how!! He hit four sixes in an over, making the spinner look the kid in the contest. The over read 6, 0, 4, 6, 6, 6. And yes, a legend was born.
Cricket's greatest ever player, Sir Donald Bradman, was watching a 1996 World Cup match on television when he first saw Sachin Tendulkar bat. The Little Master's technique seemed strangely familiar. Though his stance and his movements were compact and efficient, he hit the ball hard and his shots were ruthlessly effective. The Australian called his wife into the living room of their suburban Adelaide home. "Who does this remind you of?" asked Bradman, then 87. The answer was obvious. "I never saw myself play," Bradman said later. "But I feel that this player is playing much the same [way] I used to play." Being labeled the next Bradman has never been an easy honor. But perhaps no batsman has worn the tag with so much grace—and so deserved it—as Tendulkar.
His prowess as the best batsman is well known and his sublime form in last year’s IPL showed his mastery on the shortest format of the cricket, believed to be a game for younger generation. After tasting defeats and registering bottom positions on the charts in first 2 editions of IPL, the onus was on him to take his team out of the abject. He played an indispensible role as a captain for the team with his sterling performances and almost making sure whenever he bats he finishes with victory for his team. It sends a wave of panic among the packed stands every time he gets out. The incessantly chanting crowd suddenly comes to a silent after he gets out. He was awarded as the best batsman and the best captain of IPL 3 with 618 runs, at an phenomenal average of 47.54, 5 half centuries and 4 Man of the Match titles.
Sobriqueted as the Tendlya, Little Champion, Master Blaster and more recently the God of Cricket by his fellow team mates, he is the only cricketer to receive the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, India's highest sporting honor and the only cricketer to receive Padma Vibhushan (2008), the second highest civilian honor of India. He is the only man to hold a record of double-century in One-Day Internationals. I hope his enthusiasm for batting, hunger for runs and oomph to play cricket continues for years to come. With 98 centuries (51-Test and 47-One day) in International space, his infinite fans around the world are waiting for ‘Century of Centuries’ feat, which I believe is a dream of every INDIAN.