"Success is a process... During that journey sometimes there are stones thrown at you, and you convert them into milestones."
Sachin Tendulkar has been the most complete batsman of his time, the most prolific runmaker of all time, and arguably the biggest cricket icon the game has ever known. His batting is based on the purest principles: perfect balance, economy of movement, precision in stroke-making, and that intangible quality given only to geniuses: anticipation. If he doesn't have a signature stroke - the upright, back-foot punch comes close - it is because he is equally proficient at each of the full range of orthodox shots (and plenty of improvised ones as well) and can pull them out at will. Sachin Tendulkar is the most prolific run scorer in one-day internationals with 18,426 runs. With a current aggregate of 15,470 Test runs, he is the leading run scorer in both formats. In December 2012, Sachin Tendulkar became first batsman in history to complete 34,000 runs in (ODIs+Tests+T20Is). He has till now played 657 matches in international cricket.
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar was born on 24 April 1973 in Mumbai. 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. 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, his elder brother introduced the him to Ramakant Achrekar, a famous cricket coach of Bombay and a club cricketer of repute in 1984. Achrekar was impressed with Tendulkar's talent and advised him to shift his schooling to Sharadashram Vidyamandir High School. Tendulkar would practice for hours in the nets. If he became exhausted, Achrekar would put a one-rupee coin on the top of the stumps. 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. In 1987, at the age of 14, he attended the MRF Pace Foundation in Madras to train as a fast bowler, but Australian fast bowler Dennis Lillee was unimpressed, suggesting that Tendulkar focus on his batting instead. A couple of months later, former Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar gave him a pair of his own ultra light pads. His season in 1988 was extraordinary, with Tendulkar scoring a century in every innings he played. He was involved in an unbroken 664-run partnership in a Lord Harris Shield inter-school game with his friend and team-mate Vinod Kambli. Tendulkar scored 326 (not out) in this innings and scored over a thousand runs in the tournament. In December 1988, aged just 15 years, Tendulkar made his debut for Bombay against Gujarat and scored 100 not out, making him the youngest Indian to score a century on first-class debut. He was handpicked to play for the team by the then Mumbai captain Dilip Vengsarkar after watching him easily negotiating India's best fast bowler at the time, Kapil Dev, in the Wankhede Stadium nets. Tendulkar finished the 1988–89 season as Bombay's highest run-scorer. His first double century was for Mumbai while playing against the visiting Australian team at the Brabourne Stadium in 1998. He is the only player to score a century in all three of his domestic first-class debuts.
Raj Singh Dungarpur is credited for the selection of Tendulkar for the Indian tour of Pakistan in late 1989. Tendulkar made his Test debut against Pakistan in Karachi in November 1989 aged just 16 years and 223 days. He made just 15 runs, being bowled by Waqar Younis, but was noted for how he handled numerous blows to his body at the hands of the Pakistani pace attack. In the fourth and final test in Sialkot, he was hit on the nose by a bouncer bowled by Imran Khan, but he declined medical assistance and continued to bat even as he gushed blood from it. In a 20 over exhibition game in Peshawar, held in parallel with the bilateral series, Tendulkar made 53 runs off 18 balls, including an over in which he scored 27 runs off leg-spinner Abdul Qadir. On his tour, to England in 1990, he became the second youngest cricketer to score a Test century as he made 119 not out at Old Trafford in Manchester.
He scored his first ODI century on 9 September 1994 against Australia in Sri Lanka at Colombo. It had taken him 79 ODIs to score a century. Tendulkar's rise continued when he was the leading run scorer at the 1996 World Cup, scoring two centuries. In the Australian tour of India in early 1998, Tendulkar scored three consecutive centuries. This success was followed by two scintillating knocks in a tournament in Sharjah where he scored two consecutive centuries in a must-win game and then in finals against Australia tormenting Shane Warne. Following the series Warne joked that he was having nightmares about his Indian nemesis.
Tendulkar's father, died in the middle of the 1999 Cricket World Cup. Tendulkar flew back to India to attend the final rituals of his father, missing the match against Zimbabwe. However, he returned with a bang to the World cup scoring a century (unbeaten 140 off 101 balls) in his very next match against Kenya. He dedicated this century to his father. Tendulkar's two tenures as captain of the Indian cricket team were not very successful. Tendulkar took over as captain in 1996-1997. However, by 1997 the team was performing poorly. After another Test series defeat at home against South Africa, Tendulkar resigned, and Sourav Ganguly took over as captain in 2000. Tendulkar made 673 runs in 11 matches in the 2003 World Cup, helping India reach the final. Tendulkar was given the Man of the Tournament award. Tendulkar scored an unbeaten 194 against Pakistan at Multan in the following series. India declared before Tendulkar reached 200; had he done so it would have been the fourth time he passed the landmark in Tests. In meeting with the press that evening, Tendulkar stated that he was disappointed and the declaration had taken him by surprise. Tennis elbow then took its toll on Tendulkar, leaving him out of the side for most of the year.
During the preparation for the 2007 World Cup, Tendulkar was criticised by Greg Chappell on his attitude. Tendulkar hit out at the comments attributed to Chappell by pointing out that no coach has ever suggested his attitude towards cricket is incorrect. In 2008, Australia tour of India, he broke the record for most number of Test runs held by Brian Lara. In the One-Day International Commonwealth Bank Tri-Series, 2008, Tendulkar became the only batsman to complete 16,000 runs in ODIs. In 2009, Tendulkar made his 45th ODI hundred, a 175 off 141 balls and became the first player to reach 17,000 ODI runs. In 2010, Tendulkar scored 200 not out to become the world's first person to score a double century in ODI cricket.
In 2011 World Cup, with 482 runs including two centuries, Tendulkar was India's lead run-scorer for the tournament. India defeated Sri Lanka in the final. Shortly after the victory, Tendulkar commented that "Winning the World Cup is the proudest moment of my life. ... I couldn't control my tears of joy." Tendulkar created another record on in 2011 when he became the first cricketer to score 15,000 runs in Test cricket, during the opening Test match against the West Indies. Tendulkar scored his much awaited 100th international hundred on 16 March 2012, at Mirpur against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup. He became the first person in history to achieve this feat. Tendulkar was made the icon player and captain for his home side, the Mumbai Indians in the inaugural Indian Premier League in 2008. In 2010 edition of Indian Premier League, Mumbai Indians reached the final of the tournament. Tendulkar made 618 runs in 14 innings. He also won Best Batsman and Best Captain awards at 2010 IPL Awards. In the 2011 IPL, against Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Tendulkar scored his maiden Twenty20 hundred. He scored 100 not out off 66 balls.
Sachin announced retirement from one day internationals form of cricket on 23rd December 2012.
In April 2012, Tendulkar accepted the Rajya Sabha nomination proposed by the President. "Cricket comes first," Tendulkar said when reporters asked whether he preferred cricket to parliament. Sachin Tendulkar had been allotted a bungalow in New Delhi. The accommodation was just opposite to that of Rahul Gandhi's residence. However, he politely turned down the offer.
On 24 May 1995, at the age of 22, Tendulkar married Anjali. Anjali is six years his senior. They have two children, Sara and Arjun. Arjun, a left handed batsman, has recently been included in under-14 probables list of Mumbai Cricket Association for off-season training camp. Tendulkar sponsors 200 underprivileged children every year through Apnalaya, a Mumbai-based NGO. A request from Sachin on Twitter raised 1.025 crore through Sachin's crusade against cancer. He devoted all of nine hours to the 12-hour Coca-Cola-NDTV Support My School telethon in 2011 that helped raise 7 crore.
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar was born on 24 April 1973 in Mumbai. 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. 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, his elder brother introduced the him to Ramakant Achrekar, a famous cricket coach of Bombay and a club cricketer of repute in 1984. Achrekar was impressed with Tendulkar's talent and advised him to shift his schooling to Sharadashram Vidyamandir High School. Tendulkar would practice for hours in the nets. If he became exhausted, Achrekar would put a one-rupee coin on the top of the stumps. 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. In 1987, at the age of 14, he attended the MRF Pace Foundation in Madras to train as a fast bowler, but Australian fast bowler Dennis Lillee was unimpressed, suggesting that Tendulkar focus on his batting instead. A couple of months later, former Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar gave him a pair of his own ultra light pads. His season in 1988 was extraordinary, with Tendulkar scoring a century in every innings he played. He was involved in an unbroken 664-run partnership in a Lord Harris Shield inter-school game with his friend and team-mate Vinod Kambli. Tendulkar scored 326 (not out) in this innings and scored over a thousand runs in the tournament. In December 1988, aged just 15 years, Tendulkar made his debut for Bombay against Gujarat and scored 100 not out, making him the youngest Indian to score a century on first-class debut. He was handpicked to play for the team by the then Mumbai captain Dilip Vengsarkar after watching him easily negotiating India's best fast bowler at the time, Kapil Dev, in the Wankhede Stadium nets. Tendulkar finished the 1988–89 season as Bombay's highest run-scorer. His first double century was for Mumbai while playing against the visiting Australian team at the Brabourne Stadium in 1998. He is the only player to score a century in all three of his domestic first-class debuts.
Raj Singh Dungarpur is credited for the selection of Tendulkar for the Indian tour of Pakistan in late 1989. Tendulkar made his Test debut against Pakistan in Karachi in November 1989 aged just 16 years and 223 days. He made just 15 runs, being bowled by Waqar Younis, but was noted for how he handled numerous blows to his body at the hands of the Pakistani pace attack. In the fourth and final test in Sialkot, he was hit on the nose by a bouncer bowled by Imran Khan, but he declined medical assistance and continued to bat even as he gushed blood from it. In a 20 over exhibition game in Peshawar, held in parallel with the bilateral series, Tendulkar made 53 runs off 18 balls, including an over in which he scored 27 runs off leg-spinner Abdul Qadir. On his tour, to England in 1990, he became the second youngest cricketer to score a Test century as he made 119 not out at Old Trafford in Manchester.
He scored his first ODI century on 9 September 1994 against Australia in Sri Lanka at Colombo. It had taken him 79 ODIs to score a century. Tendulkar's rise continued when he was the leading run scorer at the 1996 World Cup, scoring two centuries. In the Australian tour of India in early 1998, Tendulkar scored three consecutive centuries. This success was followed by two scintillating knocks in a tournament in Sharjah where he scored two consecutive centuries in a must-win game and then in finals against Australia tormenting Shane Warne. Following the series Warne joked that he was having nightmares about his Indian nemesis.
Tendulkar's father, died in the middle of the 1999 Cricket World Cup. Tendulkar flew back to India to attend the final rituals of his father, missing the match against Zimbabwe. However, he returned with a bang to the World cup scoring a century (unbeaten 140 off 101 balls) in his very next match against Kenya. He dedicated this century to his father. Tendulkar's two tenures as captain of the Indian cricket team were not very successful. Tendulkar took over as captain in 1996-1997. However, by 1997 the team was performing poorly. After another Test series defeat at home against South Africa, Tendulkar resigned, and Sourav Ganguly took over as captain in 2000. Tendulkar made 673 runs in 11 matches in the 2003 World Cup, helping India reach the final. Tendulkar was given the Man of the Tournament award. Tendulkar scored an unbeaten 194 against Pakistan at Multan in the following series. India declared before Tendulkar reached 200; had he done so it would have been the fourth time he passed the landmark in Tests. In meeting with the press that evening, Tendulkar stated that he was disappointed and the declaration had taken him by surprise. Tennis elbow then took its toll on Tendulkar, leaving him out of the side for most of the year.
During the preparation for the 2007 World Cup, Tendulkar was criticised by Greg Chappell on his attitude. Tendulkar hit out at the comments attributed to Chappell by pointing out that no coach has ever suggested his attitude towards cricket is incorrect. In 2008, Australia tour of India, he broke the record for most number of Test runs held by Brian Lara. In the One-Day International Commonwealth Bank Tri-Series, 2008, Tendulkar became the only batsman to complete 16,000 runs in ODIs. In 2009, Tendulkar made his 45th ODI hundred, a 175 off 141 balls and became the first player to reach 17,000 ODI runs. In 2010, Tendulkar scored 200 not out to become the world's first person to score a double century in ODI cricket.
In 2011 World Cup, with 482 runs including two centuries, Tendulkar was India's lead run-scorer for the tournament. India defeated Sri Lanka in the final. Shortly after the victory, Tendulkar commented that "Winning the World Cup is the proudest moment of my life. ... I couldn't control my tears of joy." Tendulkar created another record on in 2011 when he became the first cricketer to score 15,000 runs in Test cricket, during the opening Test match against the West Indies. Tendulkar scored his much awaited 100th international hundred on 16 March 2012, at Mirpur against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup. He became the first person in history to achieve this feat. Tendulkar was made the icon player and captain for his home side, the Mumbai Indians in the inaugural Indian Premier League in 2008. In 2010 edition of Indian Premier League, Mumbai Indians reached the final of the tournament. Tendulkar made 618 runs in 14 innings. He also won Best Batsman and Best Captain awards at 2010 IPL Awards. In the 2011 IPL, against Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Tendulkar scored his maiden Twenty20 hundred. He scored 100 not out off 66 balls.
Sachin announced retirement from one day internationals form of cricket on 23rd December 2012.
In April 2012, Tendulkar accepted the Rajya Sabha nomination proposed by the President. "Cricket comes first," Tendulkar said when reporters asked whether he preferred cricket to parliament. Sachin Tendulkar had been allotted a bungalow in New Delhi. The accommodation was just opposite to that of Rahul Gandhi's residence. However, he politely turned down the offer.
On 24 May 1995, at the age of 22, Tendulkar married Anjali. Anjali is six years his senior. They have two children, Sara and Arjun. Arjun, a left handed batsman, has recently been included in under-14 probables list of Mumbai Cricket Association for off-season training camp. Tendulkar sponsors 200 underprivileged children every year through Apnalaya, a Mumbai-based NGO. A request from Sachin on Twitter raised 1.025 crore through Sachin's crusade against cancer. He devoted all of nine hours to the 12-hour Coca-Cola-NDTV Support My School telethon in 2011 that helped raise 7 crore.
Awards and Honours
- Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World: 2010.
- ICC Award-Sir Garfield Sobers trophy for cricketer of the year 2010.
- LG People's Choice Award: 2010.
- Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian award, 2008.
- Rajiv Gandhi Awards – Sports: 2005.
- Player of the tournament in 2003 Cricket World Cup.
- Maharashtra Bhushan Award, Maharashtra State's highest Civilian Award in 2001.
- Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award, 1999.
- Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, India's highest honour given for achievement in sports, 1997–98.
- Wisden Cricketer of the Year: 1997.
- Arjuna Award, by the Government of India, 1994.
- On 3 September 2010, he was made a Honorary Group captain by the Indian Air Force.
- Honorary Member of the Order of Australia, given by the Australian government on 6 November 2012.
References: Wikipedia; ESPN-Cricinfo
Photo Courtesy: Google Images
Photo Courtesy: Google Images