Sachin Tendulkar Rare Picture & Videos

Sachin Tendulkar’s Kids, Wife - Family Photos

Sachin Tendulkar’s Family Members with their Names and Date of Birth.

* Sachin : 24 April 1973

* Anjali : 10 November 1967

* Sara : 12 October 1997

* Arjun : 24 September 1999

Sachin Tendulkar Biography

Name : Sachin Tendulkar

Full name : Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar

Nick name :The Master Blaster, The Little Champion, The Bombay Bomber

Height : 5'4”

Born : 24-04-1973

Birth place: Bombay, India

Test Debut: Pakistan at Karachi, 1st Test, 1989/90

ODI Debut: Pakistan at Gujranwala, 2nd ODI, 1989/90

1st Class Debut: 1988

Major Teams: Mumbai, Yorkshire, India

Known As: Sachin Tendulkar

Batting Style: Right Hand Bat

Bowling Style: Right Arm Off Break, Leg Break, Right Arm Medium, Leg Break Googly

Marital Status: Married

Wife�s Name: Anjali Tendulkar

Children: Two (One Boy and One Girl)

Girl�s Name: Sarah Tendulkar

Boy�s Name: Arjun Tendulkar

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (born 24 April 1973) is an Indian cricketer. He holds several batting records, including the most Test centuries and the most one-day international centuries, and was rated in 2002 by Wisden as the second greatest Test batsman ever, after Sir Don Bradman. He received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, India’s highest sporting honour, for 1997-1998, and the civilian award Padma Shri in 1999. Tendulkar was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1997.

Early days

Born in Mumbai into a middle-class family, Sachin Tendulkar was named after his family’s favourite music director Sachin Dev Burman. He went to Sharadashram Vidyamandir School where he started his cricketing career under coach Ramakant Achrekar. While at school, he was involved in a mammoth 664 run partnership in a Harris Shield game with friend and team mate Vinod Kambli. In 1988/1989, he scored 100 not-out in his first first-class match, for Bombay against Gujarat. At 15 years and 232 days he was the youngest to score a century on debut.

International career

Sachin played his first international match against Pakistan in Karachi in 1989, facing the likes of Wasim Akram, Imran Khan, Abdul Qadir, and Waqar Younis. He made just 15 runs, being bowled by Waqar Younis, who also made his debut in that match. It was an inauspicious start, but Tendulkar followed it up with his maiden Test fifty a few days later at Faisalabad. His One-day International (ODI) debut on December 18 was equally disappointing, where he was dismissed without scoring a run, again by Waqar Younis. The series was followed by a non-descript tour of New Zealand in which he fell for 88 in a Test match, John Wright, who would later coach India, pouching the catch that prevented Tendulkar from becoming the youngest centurion in Test cricket. The long anticipated maiden Test century came in England’s tour in 1990 but the other scores were not remarkable. Tendulkar truly came into his own in the 1991-1992 tour of Australia that included a brilliant century on the fast and bouncy track at Perth. He has been Man of the Match 11 times in Test matches and Man of the Series twice, both times in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.

His first ODI century came on September 9, 1994 against Australia in Sri Lanka at Colombo. It had taken Tendulkar 79 ODIs to score a century.

Sachin Tendulkar is the only player to score a century while making his Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy and Irani Trophy debut.

Wisden named Tendulkar one of the Cricketers of the Year in 1997, the first calendar year in which he scored 1,000 Test runs. He repeated the feat in 1999, 2001, and 2002.

Tendulkar also holds the record for scoring 1,000 ODI runs in a calendar year. He has done it six times – 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2003. In 1998 he made 1,894 ODI runs, still the record for ODI runs by any batsman in any given calendar year.

While not a regular bowler, Tendulkar has 37 wickets in 132 tests.

Highlights of Tendulkar’s Test career include:

* Rated as the second best batsman of all time (next to Don Bradman) by Wisden [1][3]

* Highest number of Test centuries (35), overtaking Sunil Gavaskar’s record (34) on 10 December 2005 vs Sri Lanka in Delhi.

* Played in the highest number of Cricket Grounds – he has played Test Cricket on 52 different grounds, ahead of Azharuddin (48), Kapil Dev (47), Inzamam-ul-Haq (46) and Wasim Akram (45).

* He is the fastest to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket history. He holds this record along with Brian Lara. Both of them achieved this feat in 195 innings.

* 4th highest tally of runs in Test cricket (10,668) (updated on Feb 16 2007)

* Career Average 54.71 – Has the highest average among those who have scored over 10,000 Test runs (updated on Feb 16 2007)

* Second Indian to make over 10,000 runs in Test matches.

* Has 37 Test wickets (14 Dec 2005)

* Second fastest player to reach 9000 runs (Brian Lara made 9000 in 177 innings, Sachin in 179.)

Highlights of Tendulkar’s ODI career include:

* Played more matches than any other cricketer, 381 matches. (updated on Feb 16 2007)

* Most Man of the Match (52) awards (updated on Feb 16 2007)

* Appeared on the most grounds (89 different grounds)

* Most runs – 14,783 (updated on Feb 16 2007)

* Most centuries (41) (updated on Feb 16 2007)

* Most centuries vs. Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.

* First cricketer to cross 10,000-run mark in ODIs

* Only cricketer to cross 14,000-run mark in ODIs

* Only player to have over 100 innings of 50+ runs as of February, 2006

* Over 100 wickets – 147 (updated on Feb 16 2007)

* Highest batting average among batsmen with over 10,000 ODI runs (updated on Feb 16 2007)

* Highest individual score among Indian batsmen (186* against New Zealand at Hyderabad in 1999)

* Holds the record for scoring 1,000 ODI runs in a calendar year. He has done it six times – 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2003.

* In 1998 he made 1,894 ODI runs, still the record for ODI runs by any batsman in any given calendar year.

* In 1998 he hit 9 ODI centuries, the highest by any player in an year.

World Cup

* Most runs (1732 at an average of 59.72) in World Cup Cricket History

* Player Of The Tournament in the 2003 Cricket World Cup.

* 673 runs in 2003 World Cup, highest by any one in a single Cricket World Cup

Miscellaneous

* Sachin Tendulkar is the first batsman to have been declared run out by a third umpire in 1992 against South Africa in South Africa.

* He was the first overseas cricketer to play for Yorkshire CCC in 1992.

* Oddly, Wisden does not include any innings by Tendulkar among its list of 100 greatest Test batting performances.

Criticism and recent performance

The case against Sachin Tendulkar’s recent performances was summed up by Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack in its 2005 edition: “Apart from a glorious, nothing-to-lose 55 against Australia on a Mumbai terrortrack, watching Tendulkar became a colder experience: after his humbling 2003, he seemed to reject his bewitching fusion of majesty and human frailty in favour of a mechanical, robotic accumulation.”

The criticism must be seen against the backdrop of Tendulkar’s performance through the years 1994-1999, coinciding with his physical peak, at age 20 through 25. Tendulkar was told to open the batting at Auckland against New Zealand in 1994 [4]. He went on to make 82 runs off 49 balls. This was the beginning of a glorious period, culminating in the Australian tour of 1998-1999, following which Australian spinner Shane Warne ruefully joked that he was having nightmares about his Indian nemesis.

A chronic back problem flared up when Pakistan toured India in 1999, with India losing the historic Test at Chepauk despite a gritty century from Tendulkar himself. Worse was to come as Professor Ramesh Tendulkar, Sachin’s father, died in the middle of the 1999 cricket World Cup. Tendulkar, succeeding Mohammad Azharuddin as captain, then led India on a tour of Australia, where the visitors were comprehensively beaten 3-0 [6] by the newly-crowned world champions. 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 finals. While Australia retained the trophy that it had won in 1999, Tendulkar was given the Man of the Series award.

The drawn series as India toured Australia in 2003-2004 saw Tendulkar making his mark in the last Test of the series, with a double century in Sydney. The series was tied 1-1, with Rahul Dravid taking the Man of the Series award.

Tennis elbow then took its toll on Tendulkar, leaving him out of the side for the first two Tests when Australia toured India in 2005. He played a part in the facesaving Indian victory in Mumbai, though Australia had already taken the series 2-1, with the Chennai Test drawn.

Of late, as Wisden noted, Tendulkar has not been his old aggressive self. Expert opinion is divided on whether this is due to his increasing years or the lingering after-effects of injuries over 17 years at the highest level. On 10 December, 2005, at Feroz Shah Kotla, he delighted fans with a record-breaking 35th Test century, against the Sri Lankans. But doubts were raised once again when he averaged a mere 21 over three Test innings when India toured Pakistan in 2006.

On 6 February 2006, Tendulkar scored his 39th ODI hundred, in a match against Pakistan. Tendulkar now has 16 more ODI tons than the man who is second on the list of ODI century-makers, Sourav Ganguly. He followed with a run-a-ball 42 in the second ODI against Pakistan on February 11, 2006, and then a truly masterly 95 in hostile conditions on 13 February, 2006 in Lahore.

On 19 March 2006, after scoring an unconvincing 1 off 21 balls against England in the first innings of the third Test in his home ground, Wankhede, Tendulkar was booed off the ground by a section of the crowd[7], the first time that he has ever faced such flak. While cheered on when he came for his second innings, Tendulkar was to end the three-Test series without a single half-century to his credit, and news of a shoulder operation raised more questions about his longevity. Geoffrey Boycott was brutal in his assessment: “Sachin Tendulkar is in the worst form of his career…Now that he’s going to sit out for a further two months, I don’t think he can ever come back to regain what he once had.”

Personal life

Sachin Tendulkar married Anjali Mehta, the paediatrician daughter of Gujarati industrialist Anand Mehta, in 1995, some years after they were introduced by mutual friends. They have two children, Sara (born October 1997) and Arjun (born 23 September, 2000). Tendulkar sponsors 200 under-privileged children every year through Apnalaya, a Mumbai-based NGO associated with his mother-in-law, Annabel Mehta. He is reluctant to speak about this, or other charitable activities, choosing to preserve the sanctity of his personal life despite the overwhelming media interest in him. Tendulkar has been seen taking his Ferrari 360 Modena for late-night drives in Mumbai. (Gifted by Fiat through Michael Schumacher, the car became notorious when Tendulkar was given customs exemption; Fiat paid the dues to end the controversy.)

The Legend

Sachin has enthralled his legions of fans with many a great innings in the ten years that he has played cricket. We take a look back of some of these superlative innings that have earned him the fan following of millions.

Memorable Moments in ONE DAY INNINGS

1] 27th March 1994, India vs New Zealand, Eden Park Auckland: It was the first time Sachin opened the innings in ODI’s. Opener Navjot Singh Sidhu got injured and although India were chasing a small victory target of 146 no batsman was willing to open on a seaming Eden Park wicket. But Sachin took the responsibility of opening the innings. And what a happy accident it turned out to be as he smashed 82 off 43 balls. Describing this knock Sachin said “Such innings’s are possible only once in a life time. It was like a dream.”

2] 15th April, 1996: India vs Pakistan, Sharjah Pakistan have always had an edge over their arch rivals at the desert venue and 1996 was no different. India had lost both their games one to Pakistan and the other to South Africa. In a must win game Sachin Tendulkar displayed guts and determination in plenty and smashed a brilliant hundred. He shared a wonderful second wicket partnership of 232 runs along with Navjot Sidhu and helped India to a total of 305. Incidentally, it was the first time that India scored in excess of 300 runs in a one day match.

3] 22nd April 1998: India vs Australia (”Sandstorm innings”), Sharjah “The best innings he has ever played” is how commentator Ravi Shastri described Sachin’s performance on that eventful, emotionally draining and nerve jangling day at Sharjah. India were playing Australia who after batting first put up a massive 283 runs putting the Indians under pressure. India needed to win the match to qualify for the finals of the Coca Cola Cup or end up 30 runs short of the Australian score in order to get a back door entry into the finals and pip the Kiwis. After losing four quick wickets a struggling VVS Laxman came in to join Sachin and the Indians seemed to be staring defeat in the face, needing more than a run a ball in the remaining 20 odd overs. As if things were not bad enough then a massive sandstorm came in from no where and interrupted the game for about half an hour. The target was readjusted and India needed to get 237 in 46 overs and the asking rate became more steep – India were asked to get 94 runs in 87 balls. But before he resumed his innings Sachin assured Indian team coach Anshuman Gaekwad by saying, “Don’t worry, I’ll be there till the end.” Such was his confidence and determination. He smashed the first ball off Michael Kasprowicz for a six and then almost like a man posessed made 143, taking India into the finals of the Coca-Cola Cup. India lost the match by 20 odd runs but that superb knock helped India have one more crack at the Aussies in the finals on Sachin Tendulkar’s birthday.

4] 24th April 1998 India vs Australia (”Happy Birthday Sachin”) Finals of the Coca Cola Trophy, Sharjah: The crowds at the Sharjah, had come with banners wishing Sachin a happy 25th birthday along with their intense desire to see him play another one of those blinders and take India to victory. Sachin didn’t disappoint them. Australia had put up a huge target of 273 and that meant India had quite a chase on their hands. Before the Indian innings began noted Australian commentator Greg Chappell made a telling comment. He said, “Sachin will be feeling just a little bit drained from his previous effort and the weight of the entire Indian population will be on his young shoulders.” He was right but Sachin went about his task with clinical precision and made 134. He unleashed some of his breathtaking strokes and power only after he had ensured that India were well on the road to victory. After depositing Aussie paceman Michael Kasprowicz on to the roof of the Sharjah stadium, noted TV commentator Tony Greig said, “This little man is the nearest thing to Bradman there’s ever been.” Sachin ended up sweeping almost all the awards after India emerged victorious. He also won an Opel Astra for his efforts at Sharjah an award which he dedicated to his wife, on his 25th birthday.

5] 29th May, 1999 India vs Kenya (”This one’s for you dad”), India vs Kenya, Bristol: Sachin Tendulkar’s 140 not out in the match against Kenya said a lot about the temperament that the litle champion possesses. India were under pressure to win the match to stay in contention as they had lost their previous two games to South Africa and Zimbabwe. Sachin had not taken part in the match against Zimbabwe as he had to return to India because of the rather unfortunate death of his father. However he made it a point to return to England for the World Cup. His hundred against Kenya is still talked about as one of the great knocks of all time simply because of all the pressures (most of them non-cricketing) he was under.

6] 31st March, 2000 India vs Australia, Indore: (Sachin’s creates history by becoming the first batsman in the history of limited overs cricket to score 10,000 runs.) Sachin came into the third one day international at Indore after he had slammed a rapid fire 35 and 32 in his previous two knocks at Bangalore and Pune respectively. He was rather unfairly criticised by some sections of the media who thought he batted irresponsibly. However the moment he walked in to bat at Indore one could see the determination on his face and one could almost anticipate a hundred from the Bombay Bomber. Sachin did not disappoint and he pulverised the Aussie bowlers and hammered his 28th one day hundred. Sachin’s inns of 139 off just 125 deliveries can easily be rated as one of his best one day inns as he was at his innovative best and he often played strokes that were cheeky to say the least. During his inns he also achieved the distinction of becoming the first player to reach the landmark of 10,000 runs in one day internationals. It was indeed a fine treble for Sachin as he reached 10,000 runs, slammed his 28th ton and he also helped India post a comprehensive win to take a 2-1 lead in the 5 match series. He rightly won the man of the match award for his stunning exploits.

Memorable Moments in TEST MATCHES :-

Test Matches:

1] 10-14th August 1990: 2nd test India vs England, Old Trafford Manchester: Sachin Tendulkar got to his first test hundred when he drove Angus Fraser past mid off for 3 runs and aged 17, became the second youngest player in test history to score a hundred after Mushtaq Mohammaed of Pakistan. However that knock had much more significance than just being his first test hundred. It helped India save a match that looked all but lost as they were tottering at 183/6 before tea chasing a victory target of 408 runs. Sachin who scored an unbeaten 119 to win the man of the match award. Manoj Prabhakar too played an important hand in helping India salvage a draw.

2] 2-6th January 1992, 3rd test India vs Australia, Sydney: Sachin holds the record for being the youngest batsman to score a hundred on Australian soil when he scored a superb 148 not out against Australia at the picturesque Sydney Cricket Ground. “Each and every stroke deserved to be stood up and applauded,” commented Aussie commentator Bill Lawry describing Sachin’s knock.

3] 1-5th February 1992 5th test India vs Australia, Perth: “It still remains my best test match innings,” said the man himself in a recent TV interview about his hundred on a fast and bouncy wicket at the WACA ground in Perth. On a pitch where batsmen of more experience and higher pedigree struggled against the pace of McDermott, Hughes, Whitney and Reiffel, Sachin who was still only 18 but fresh from his Sydney hundred played a gem. He coped with the pace and bounce quite easily and stroked his way to a beautiful hundred. Although his knock could not help India avoid another humiliating defeat it still remains one of the best knocks ever played at the WACA. After he got to his hundred, celebrated Aussie commentator Richie Benaud said, “It’s a great pity that an innings which deserved a crowd of over a 100,000 is being watched by a such a small crowd.”

4] 6-10th March 1998, 1st Test India vs Australia, Chennai. The Gavaskar-Border trophy between India and Australia was billed as the Warne vs Tendulkar series by fans and media alike, not surprising considering the reputation of the two great stars and their attacking instincts. But after being stripped of the Captaincy, Sachin batted like a man posessed almost out to prove a point. He was dismissed by the champion leg spinner for 4 in the first innings playing an ambitious stroke but in the second innings he decided to make amends and launched into Warne from the first delivery he bowled. India were trailing by 70 runs when they began their second innings and they needed a quick fire innings from some one if they had to make a match of it. His 155 not out in the second inns on a track that afforded sharp turn and bounce helped India win the test match. Says Ian Chappell about that inns, ” I will always remember that Chennai test match for a lot of good things but I will never forget for as long as I live the moment when Shane Warne came around the wicket for the first time and Tendulkar deposited him over the mid wicket boundary.”

5] 28 Jan to 1st Feb 1999, 1st test India vs Pakistan, Chennai: It was the first time that India and Pakistan were playing a test match on Indian soil for 12 years and the first ever test series between the two countries since 1989. Sachin was dismissed for a duck in the first inns by off spinner Saqlain Mushtaq. But Sachin more than made up for it by scoring 136 in the second inns and almost took India to an unlikely win. India were 82/5 in their second essay chasing 271 to win. Sachin battled back spasms and a pumped up Pakistani team with a superb blend of defence and attack. He carried on and when India were just 17 runs away from their target he fell victim to Saqlain again. His wicket gave the Pakistanis a new lease of life and they polished off the lower order to complete a thrilling 12 run win. That was the first time fans saw Sachin wince in pain on a cricket field and although he won the man of the match award it was little consolation for Sachin who broke down in the dressing room after he saw India being beaten from a seemingly winning position.

It’s not just his willow that speaks:

It’s not just Sachin’s willow that has enthralled Cricket fans the world over, he has also made telling contributions with the ball. Who can forget the dramatic last over that he bowled in the semi finals of the Hero Cup against the South Africans at Calcutta on that dramatic evening on November 24th 1993 in front of a packed Eden Gardens at Calcutta? The Springboks needed just 6 runs to win off the last over and Skipper Azharuddin was in a dilemma as to who should bowl the last over. Kapil Dev with over 400 test wickets and 200 ODI wickets would have been the obvious choice but the legendary all rounder was for once not game to take up the challenge. Sachin who was only 20 then literally snatched the ball from his skipper’s hands and with clever variations in pace and movement denied the Springboks a win.

He also picked up 5 wickets in the first match of the Pepsi Cup at Kochi against Australia on April 1 1998 to win the man of the match award.

Sachin also made telling breakthroughs in the second inns of the Kolkata test against Australia in the recently concluded series and picked up 3 wickets to give Harbhajan Singh the much needed support from the other end. Of course he also picked up his 100th one day victim when he dismissed Steve Waugh in the last one dayer at Goa. So he is the only member of the joint 100 wkt and 10,000 run club. And that is an awesome record which will take some beating.

First batsman to score 50 hundreds in international cricket

When he became the first batsman to score 50 hundreds in international cricket, Sachin Tendulkar established himself as the greatest of all Indian cricketers. Recognised by Sir Donald Bradman as his modern incarnation, Tendulkar has a skill – a genius – which only a handful have possessed. It was not a skill that he was simply born with, but one which was developed by his intelligence and an infinite capacity for taking pains. If there is a secret, it is that Tendulkar has the keenest of cricket minds. At times in a Test series he looks mortal. But he learns every lesson, picks up every cue, dominates the opposing attack sooner or later, and nearly always makes a hundred. His bravery was proved after he was hit on the head on his Test debut in Pakistan, when he was only 16; and his commitment to the Indian cause has never been in doubt. If captaincy – or rather the off-field management of men less skilled than himself – was beyond him at his first attempt, his reading of the game, and his manifold varieties of bowling, have shown the same acute intelligence. His cricket has been played in the right way too, always attacking, and because he knew that was the right way rather than because he was a child of the one-day age, as he himself modestly said. The awe of opponents was as great as that of crowds. But the finest compliment must be that bookmakers would not fix the odds – or a game – until Tendulkar was out.

Beyond the man

Sachin’s favorites

Favorite food

All sea food, especially fish cooked by his mother, steak. (by the way he also enjoys devouring bowlers of the opposition!)

Hobbies

Driving and listening to music especially Dire Straits, Sting, Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Phil Collins and Eagles.

Other Cricketers admired

Wasim Akram, Sunil Gavaskar, Jonty Rhodes, Shane Warne, Sanath Jayasuriya and Brian Lara

Team Mates Admired

Anil Kumble, Vinod Kambli, Javagal Srinath.

Other sportsmen admired

Diego Maradona, John McEnroe and Boris Becker

In his spare time he attends to

His family and his personal stereo

He likes batting with

Vinod Kambli

One dream that will always remain unfulfilled

Playing against the West Indies pace attack of Holding, Marshall, Garner and Roberts.

Favorite cricket grounds

Sydney Cricket Ground and Wankhede Stadium.

Most memorable match

Beating Pakistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground in the 1992 World Cup.

Tendulkar’s childhood memories

Submitted by i.srivastava@rediffmail.com

On the first day, Achrekar told Sachin to watch in order to get a feel of what playing with the ‘big boys’ would be like. ‘For the first and so far perhaps the only time in his cricket career, Sachin just stood and watched the others play,’ remembers Ajit….

‘His father was always behind him and his brother Ajit would accompany him to the nets. This was essential for the youngster.’

On the way home from that first session, he told his brother with the same confidence with which he would handle the world’s best bowlers, “I can bat better than any of them.”

Ajit noticed his ‘uncanny ability’ to judge the length of the ball and middle it.

Sachin was studying in the Indian Education Society’s New English School, close to the family home in Bandra (East) where most of his friends also studied. But the school lacked a good cricket ground and coach. On Achrekar’s suggestion, the switch was made and purely for the sake of cricket. Professor Ramesh Tendulkar was first approached by Achrekar with the suggestion; since the coach was by now convinced the boy had potential. But the father turned to Ajit for his opinion because Ajit had cricketing experience and had been guiding Sachin’s entry into serious cricket. Till now Sachin played cricket only during the school vacations. Now he would have to combine studies and cricket. But the final decision was left to Sachin himself – a tough one for someone so young who would miss his school friends. Commuting every day from his home in Bandra (East) to the new school meant a one-hour journey and he would have to change buses. However, it did not take him very long to reach a decision. Cricket was more important than fun and games in the backyard. Sharadashram it would be. It is remarkable that a family so steeped in middle-class values with education coming above all had the courage and foresight to take such a far-reaching decision.

Sachin in his child-like excitement picked out the first bat he saw, one that appeared too big and heavy for his size. Both Ajit and Achrekar tried to dissuade him. But he was firm in his choice and it has always been heavy bats from then on. Today he wields one of the heaviest in the world. (Up to 3lbs 2 ounces).

By now Sachin’s life revolved round cricket and cricket alone. Studies had begun to take a backseat. But there was a four-month hiatus during the monsoon months when the only cricket being played in Mumbai was the Kanga League.

His first big match knock produced 24 runs. This included three stylish boundaries – a square cut, a cover drive and a straight drive. Ajit was struck by the power in his kid brother’s hands since most cricketers of that age did not have the strength to hit boundaries, getting their runs mainly in singles and two’s. But Sachin’s timing was so good that he was able to find the gaps in the field, allowing the ball to race to the boundary.

The first person to predict the big time for Sachin was an umpire by the name of Gondhalekar. He was umpiring the quarterfinals against Don Bosco at Cross Maiden in which Sachin smashed 10 fours in a knock of 50. The umpire called Achrekar and predicted the lad would one day play for the country – a prediction Achrekar brushed aside since this was the boy’s first year in competitive cricket.

Achrekar was keen that Sachin get a place in the Bombay Cricket Association (BCA) nets for under-19 boys which were spread across the city and usually conducted by an ex-Test cricketer.

Ajit took Sachin to the MIG (Middle Income Group) Cricket Club ground, a short walk from their home in Bandra to meet the coach in charge, a man named Dandekar.

But Dandekar was shocked when he heard Sachin was just 12 and bluntly told Ajit his kid brother was too young to get into the under-19 nets.So the summer was spent instead in practice sessions with Achrekar, both in the mornings and afternoons. Sessions intense enough for Sachin to say goodbye to a normal childhood with summer vacations filled with childhood pranks and fun and games.

All through this year of 1985, it was cricket, cricket, and more cricket. The phrase ‘eat cricket, drink cricket, sleep cricket’ began to ring true for Sachin. Even after he broke into international cricket, Sachin was known to talk – cricket, of course! – and walk in his sleep. And the phrase he uttered most often in his sleep? ‘Take two!’ (In Marathi – ‘Don-ge’).

The grind would begin at 7.00 in the morning, a quick breakfast and then at the ground at 7.30. A batting session would be followed by tips from Achrekar who was always on hand to guide his favorite student. Bowling was a fascination with Sachin from the early days and even then he bowled an assortment of medium pace and leg spin. Fielding was also taken seriously. The morning session would be till 10.00, and the afternoon would begin at 3.00 and continue till 7.00.

Just 12, Sachin also played his first match in the Kanga League, scoring five for Young Parsee Cricket Club in the ‘F’ division.

A special batting prize was presented to the precocious youngster, still one year short of his teens. By now he had made quite a name for himself and his school fielded him in both the Giles and Harris Shield tournaments. In fact, his maiden century came in the Harris; the senior of the two.That landmark came against Don Bosco School, Matunga at the Bharat CC ground at Shivaji Park. He was unbeaten on 96 at the end of the first day of the three-day match, coming in after the loss of two wickets. To get over the tension, Sachin decided to spend the night at his parents’ home instead of his uncle’s. But it was a sleepless night. Early on the second day, one of the rival team’s pace bowlers was square cut to the boundary and Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar’s first century entered the record books………Oh my God….

Sachin was chosen for the Mumbai under-15 team for the Vijay Merchant inter-zonal tournament to be played in Pune. By this time, the big names of Mumbai cricket were beginning to take notice of this wonder boy.

It has happened countless times since in newspapers and magazines around the world. But the very first time Sachin’s photograph appeared in the papers was when he scored 123 against Maharashtra in just 140 minutes in the opening game at Baroda.

Now it was back to do duty for Sharadashram in the Harris Shield. In the very first match he registered an amazing score for a boy barely into his teens: 276 against BPM High School, that too in a single day against boys three to four years older than him. Just one rung lower, in the Giles Shield, Sachin had been appointed captain. The first match was against the powerful Balamohan, Ajit’s former team. Sachin confidently predicted he would win not only that match, but the title as well…..

Sharadashram were struggling at 40 for three in reply to Balamohan’s 250 when the captain (Sachin) came in and smashed 159 not out in two hours. The team was on its way. And so was Sachin.

And true to his word, he had led his school to victory, scoring 665 runs with three centuries in the Giles Shield. For the first time, Sharadashram English achieved the Harris/Giles double, largely due to Sachin’s huge scores.

‘Sachin was making runs by the tons. I went to Shivaji Park in Dadar and met him just around lunch. I told him that since he was fielding I would come later in the evening to chat with him,’ Warrier told……’I was quite surprised to see his brother too with him in the evening. I was wondering how he had found the time to call his brother to the ground. I suggested we go to a restaurant and have a cup of tea. They agreed and we walked a short distance from the ground to a small Irani restaurant. It is one of the oldest in that area. As we started chatting I realized that Sachin was keeping mum and Ajit was doing all the talking. Every time I asked a question, Sachin would prompt his brother in Marathi, ‘Tu sang na’ (You tell him). So I told him, since you go to an English medium school you should speak to me in English and not in Marathi. He politely smiled. ……..

‘Sachin is also a good singer.’

Even while scoring a mountain of runs, Sachin did not neglect his bowling and picked up quite a few wickets with his medium pacers.

In October of that year 1987, he was part of the selection trials at the MRF Pace Academy in Chennai (then known as Madras), overseen by Australian fast bowling legend Dennis Lillee. But Lillee was not impressed with his bowling (due to his short height) and told him to concentrate on batting, biggest mistake by an Australian………..

Sachin was not selected for the Academy.

SACHIN’S Domestic Career

At the age of 14 Sachin became the youngest player ever selected for Mumbai in the West Zone Ranji Trophy league.And the legend born………..

he was selected for the Sportstar Trophy for boys under 17. His scores of 158, 97 and 75 also won him the Man of the Series award and took his team (Dattu Phadkar XI) to victory.

In the Giles and Harris shield he had a fantastic run: 21 not out, 125, 207 not out, 326 not out, 172 not out, 346 not out, 0 and 14. The ‘failures’ of 172 not out, 0 and 14 were scored in the Giles Shield. His Harris Shield total of 1, 025 runs came to the staggering average of 1, 025!!!The two triple centuries had come in the Harris Shield, in the semifinals against St. Xavier’s, Fort (326 not out) and in the final against Anjuman-E-Islam (346 not out).

A soldier is not judged by the weapon he carries or the battlefields he conquers, but the character with which he uses his weapons on the battlefield. Sachin plays for a team, and we cannot think of a better saviour of Indian cricket than Sachin. Do not judge him merely by the runs he scores, for he has spawned a generation of fiercely motivated young cricketers that will carry the honour of our team for the next two decades. See his batting style, that style no one batted, bats & can ever bat.

Summary of Tendulkar’s ODI and Test Statistics

Profile

Full name: Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar

Born: April 24, 1973, Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra

Current age: 34 years

Major teams: India, ACC Asian XI, Mumbai, Yorkshire

Nickname: Tendlya, Little Master

Batting style: Right-hand bat

Bowling style: Right-arm offbreak, Legbreak googly

Height: 5 ft 5 in

Education: Sharadashram Vidyamandir School

One Day Internationals

Matches: 441 (1989-)

Innings: 430

Aggregate: 17598

Average: 44.61

Best Score: 200*

50’s : 93

100’s: 45

Strike Rate : 85.90

Test Matches

Matches: 166 (1989-)

Innings: 271

Aggregate: 13447

Average: 55.57

Best Score: 248*

50’s : 54

100’s: 47

200s: 4

World Cup matches

Matches: 36 (1992-)

Innings: 35

Aggregate: 1796

Average: 57.94

Best Score: 152

50’s : 13

100’s: 4

Strike Rate : 88.21

[updated on Feb 14 2010]

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