Sachin Tendulkar: The Living God of Cricket

Born on April 24, 1973 in Bombay, to Ramesh Tendulkar, a Marathi novelist and Rajni, who worked in the insurance industry. The youngest of four siblings, Sachin Tendulkar was named after his father’s favourite music director, Sachin Dev Burman. As a boy, Tendulkar was a bully. To divert his attention from fights, his older brother Ajit got him enrolled at coach Ramakant Achrekar’s cricket academy.

Early life

He went to Sharadashram Vidyamandir High School on Achrekar’s advice. He shone while playing for his school and soon people predicted that he would become famous. Along with his friend Vinod Kambli, Tendulkar was involved in a record 664-run partnership (Tendulkar contributed an unbeaten 326) against St Xavier’s High School in 1988 for the highest partnership of the time.

Baptism through fire

Tendulkar embarked on a domestic first-class career in 1988, representing Bombay and scoring a century in his first match.Tendulkar finished the 1988-89 Ranji Trophy season as Bombay’s highest run-scorer. His international Test debut was against Pakistan in November 1989 aged 16 . Though he did not score much during that series, he was noticed both for batting technique and dedication. His ODI debut occurred in 1989.

Rise through the ranks

Opening the innings against New Zealand in Auckland in 1994, he made 82 runs off 49 balls. His first ODI century came on September 9, 1994 against Australia in Sri Lanka. In 1998, during the Australian tour of India, he hit two centuries in three Tests to help set up India’s series win.

Tendulkar had two stints as captain of the Indian team. He first took charge in 1996 but the team performed poorly and he gave up captaincy the next year. He was also elevated in 1999 but the outcome was similar to the first one and he stepped down the same year. India was one of the favourites in the 2003 World Cup during which he made 673 runs in 11 matches to help the team reach the final. India went down to Australia in the final. Tendulkar was adjudged Man of the Tournament. After a difficult phase, he completed 11,000 Test runs to become India’s leading scorer. Sachin was again at his best in the 2011 World Cup during which he made 482 runs including two tons. When India beat Sri Lanka in the final, it was his first World Cup victory.

Adieu to tests

On November 16, 2013, 24 years and a day after his debut,Tendulkar bid adieu to Tests in Mumbai. His 200th Test against the West Indies culminated in a win for India. The venue was stunned into silence when he was caught at slip after a fluent 74.

Awards, achievements

He was conferred the Bharat Ratna in 2014, making him the first sportsperson and the youngest person to receive it. He was also honoured with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award and Padma Shri. He also won the 2010 Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the Cricketer of the Year at the ICC awards.

Interesting facts

1. During his early days, Tendulkar would win a coin from coach Ramakant Achrekar if he could bat through an entire session of nets without being dismissed. Over time, Tendulkar has earned 13 such coins.

2. Tendulkar’s long association with the World Cup began on his own home turf, albeit in an informal capacity in 1987. Then aged 14, he was a ball boy during the India-Zimbabwe match at the Wankhede Stadium.

3. In the 1992 Durban Test, Jonty Rhodes’ throw left Tendulkar short of the crease. Umpire Liebenberg gave the verdict, Tendulkar became the first international player to be given out by a third umpire.

4. In his debut Test, English bowler Alan Mullally complained that Tendulkar was using a bat broader than the normal willow. His bat weighed 3.2lbs and only South Africa’s Lance Klusener used a heavier bat.

5. He was the first sportsperson and first person without an aviation background whom the Indian Air Force awarded the honorary rank of Group Captain. MS Dhoni received the honour from IAF after him.

Sources: Wikipedia, thefamouspeople.com