Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, born April 24, 1973 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, is an Indian cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket.
In 2002, Wisden ranked him the second greatest test batsman of all time, second only to Sir Donald Bradman and the second greatest one-day international (ODI) batsman of all time next only to Sir Viv Richards. The list was later revised to make him the greatest ODI of all time.
In September 2007, Shane Warne, the world-record breaking Australian leg spinner, rated Sachin Tendulkar as the greatest player he has played with or against. Tendulkar was the only player of the current generation to be included in Bradman's Eleven, the dream team of Sir Donald Bradman, as published in his biography. He is sometimes referred to as the Little Master or the Master Blaster.
After Sir Don Bradman claimed Sachin to be his replica in test cricket, one would not make any mistakes to keep the little master out of their Top 10 list of best test batsmen. But it seemed that the ICC thought the other way when it not only kept the star out of the Top 20 “ICC Best Ever Ratings.”
According to ICC, the Mumbaikar did not deserve to be placed above the 26th rank, whereas Kumara Sangakara, Matthew Hayden, Mike Hussey, Kevin Pietersen, and Neil Harvey could easily find a berth for themselves. The only Indian who could squeeze himself into the Top 20 was Sunil Gavaskar, who is just ahead of West Indies’ George Headley.
IPL Master Blaster
Tendulkar was made the icon player and captain for his home side, the Mumbai Indians, in the inaugural Indian Premier League Twenty 20 competition in 2008. As an icon player, he was signed for a $1.12 million, 15 percent more than the second-highest paid player on the team, Sanath Jayasuriya. But despite Sachin's heroics, Mumbai did not qualify for the semis of the IPL tournament.
Personal Life
Sachin was born in Bombay. His father, Ramesh Tendulkar, a Marathi novelist, named Tendulkar after his favourite music director, Sachin Dev Burman. Tendulkar's elder brother, Ajit, encouraged him to play cricket. Tendulkar has two other siblings; a brother, Nitin, and sister, Savitai. In 1995, Tendulkar married Anjali (born Nov. 10, 1967), a pediatrician and daughter of Gujarati industrialist Anand Mehta. They have two children: Sara (born Oct. 12, 1997), and Arjun (born Sept. 24, 1999).
The Little Master
Tendulkar currently holds the records for the most cumulative runs in One-Day Internationals and the most number of centuries scored in both One-Day Internationals and test cricket. He made his international debut against Pakistan in 1989 at the age of 16, becoming India's youngest test player.
Although primarily a top-order batsman, Tendulkar has often proved to be a useful and effective slow bowler. He received India's highest sporting honor, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, in 1997-98, as well as the civilian award Padma Shri in 1999. His cricketing and batting abilities are widely regarded as genius by many stalwarts of the game; Bradman once said, "He reminds me of myself." His adoring fans call him The Little Master.
Records
Sachin is the highest run scorer in both test matches and ODIs, and also the batsman with the most centuries in either form of the game. He has become the world record test runs scorer, surpassing Brian Lara's previous mark of 11,953.
Tendulkar, 35, needed 15 runs to overtake West Indies legend Lara in the standings on the first day of the second test against Australia in Mohali. And despite being forced to go to tea on 13 not out, the Little Master came out after the interval to hit Australian debutante Peter Siddle's first ball of the session for three runs to spark wild celebrations in the ground.
On Oct. 17, 2008, when Sachin surpassed Lara's record for the most runs scored in test cricket, he also became the first batsman to score 12,000 runs in that form of the game, having also been the third batsman and first Indian to pass 11,000 runs in test cricket.
He was also the first player to score 10,000 runs in one-day internationals, and also the first player to cross every subsequent 1,000-run mark that has been crossed in ODI cricket history.
In the fourth test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, Sachin surpassed Australia's Allan Border to become the player to cross the 50-run mark the most number of times in test cricket history, and also the second ever player to score 10 test centuries against Australia, after only Sir Jack Hobbs of England more than 70 years prioir. Sachin has been honored with the Padma Vibhushan award, India's second-highest civilian award, and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, India's highest sporting honor.
Early Years
Sachin attended Sharadashram Vidyamandir High School, where he began his cricketing career under the guidance of his coach and mentor, Ramakant Achrekar. During his school days, he attended the MRF Pace Foundation to train as a fast bowler, but Australian fast bowler Dennis Lillee, who took a world record 355 test wickets, was unimpressed, suggesting that Tendulkar focus on his batting instead.
When he was young, Sachin 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.
While at school, he developed a reputation as a child prodigy. He had become a common conversation point in Mumbai circles, where there were suggestions already that he would become one of the greats. 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 in 1988 with friend and teammate Vinod Kambli, who would also go on to represent India. The destructive pair reduced one bowler to tears and made the rest of the opposition unwilling to continue the game.
Tendulkar scored 326* in this innings and scored over 1,000 runs in the tournament. This was a record partnership in any form of cricket until 2006, when it was broken by two under-13 batsmen in a match held at Hyderabad in India.
When he was 14, Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar gave him a pair of his own ultra light pads. "It was the greatest source of encouragement for me," he said nearly 20 years later, after surpassing Gavaskar's top world record of 34 test centuries. This was in the same year as his first-class debut. Tendulkar never played for any Under-19 teams, crossing straight into the seniors.
Early Career
On Dec. 11, 1988, aged just 15 years, Sachin scored 100 not-out in his debut first-class match for Mumbai against Gujarat, making him the youngest cricketer to score a century on his first-class debut. His first double century was for Mumbai while playing against the visiting Australian team at the Brabourne Stadium in 1998.
Sachin is the only player to score a century in all three of his Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy and Irani Trophy debuts.
Sachin played his first test match against Pakistan in Karachi in 1989 under the leadership of Kris Srikkanth. According to Cricinfo's Andrew Miller and Martin Williamson, India took an unconventional approach to combating the Pakistani pace attack by calling up a "baby-faced 16-year-old with one season of first-class cricket to his name."
He made just 15 runs, being bowled by Waqar Younis, who also made his debut in that match, but was impressive in how he handled numerous blows to his body at the hands of the Pakistani pace attack.
Tendulkar followed it up with his maiden test 50 a few days later at Faisalabad. His ODI debut on Dec. 18 was disappointing, though. He was dismissed without scoring a run, again by Waqar Younis. The series was followed by a tour of New Zealand in which he fell for 88 in the Second Test. His maiden test century came in the next tour, to England in August 1990 at Old Trafford.
Tendulkar further enhanced his development into a world-class batsman during the 1991–1992 tour of Australia that included an unbeaten 148 in Sydney (the first of many battles against Shane Warne, who made his debut in the match) and a century on the fast and bouncy track at Perth. Merv Hughes famously commented to Allan Border at the time that, "This little prick's going to get more runs than you, AB."
Rise of Sachin
Sachin's performance through 1994–99 coincided with his physical peak, in his early 20s. On the day of the Hindu festival Holi, Tendulkar was told to open the batting at Auckland against New Zealand in 1994. He went on to make 82 runs off 49 balls. He scored his first ODI century on Sept. 9, 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 Cricket World Cup, topping the batting averages while scoring two centuries. He was the only Indian batsman to perform in the infamous semi-final of that World Cup.
This was the beginning of a period at the top of the batting world, culminating in the Australian tour of India in early 1998, with Tendulkar scoring three consecutive centuries. These were characterized by a premeditated plan to target Australian spinners Shane Warne and Gavin Robertson, to whom he regularly charged down the pitch to drive over the infield.
This technique worked, as India beat Australia. The test match success was followed by two scintillating knocks in Sharjah, where he scored two consecutive centuries in a must-win game and then in the finals against Australia, tormenting Shane Warne once again.
Following the series, Warne ruefully joked that he was having nightmares about his Indian nemesis. He also had a role with the ball in that series, including a five-wicket haul in an ODI. Set 310 runs to win, Australia were cruising comfortably at three for 203 in the 31st over when Tendulkar turned the match for India taking wickets of Michael Bevan, Steve Waugh, Darren Lehmann, Tom Moody, and Damien Martyn for just 32 runs in 10 overs.
Tendulkar single-handedly won the ICC 1998 quarterfinal at Dhaka to pave way for India's entry into the semifinals, when he took four Australian wickets after scoring 141 runs in just 128 balls.
The worst was yet to come as Professor Ramesh Tendulkar, 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 in Bristol. He dedicated this century to his father.
Tendulkar continued his good form in test cricket in 2001 and 2002, with some pivotal performances with both bat and ball. Tendulkar took three wickets on the final day of the famous Kolkata Test against Australia in 2001. He took the key wickets of Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist, centurions in the previous test.
He made 673 runs in 11 matches in the 2003 Cricket World Cup, helping India reach the final. While Australia retained the trophy that they had won in 1999, Tendulkar was given the Man of the Tournament award. The drawn series as India toured Australia in 2003/04 saw Tendulkar making his mark in the last test of the series, with 241* in Sydney, putting India in a virtually unbeatable position.
He followed up the innings with an unbeaten 50 in the second innings of the test and then an unbeaten 194 against Pakistan at Multan in the following series. The 194 was controversial in that he was stranded prior to reaching his double century as a result of a declaration by Rahul Dravid.
In meeting with the press that evening, Tendulkar responded to a question on missing 200 against Pakistan by stating that he was disappointed and that the declaration had taken him by surprise.
On Dec. 10, 2005, at Feroz Shah Kotla, Tendulkar scored his record-breaking 35th test century, against the Sri Lankans. On Feb. 6, 2006, he scored his 39th ODI hundred in a match against Pakistan. He followed with a run-a-ball 42 in the second one-day international against Pakistan on Feb. 11, and then a 95 in hostile, seaming conditions on Feb. 13 in Lahore, which set up an Indian victory.
Sachin as Captain
Tendulkar's two tenures as captain of the Indian cricket team were not very successful. When Tendulkar took over as captain in 1996, it was with huge hopes and expectations. However, by 1997, the team was performing poorly. Azharuddin was credited with saying "He won't win! It's not in the small one's destiny."
Tendulkar, succeeding Azharuddin as captain for his second term, then led India on a tour of Australia, where the visitors were comprehensively beaten 3-0 by the newly-crowned world champions. After another test series defeat, this time by a 0-2 margin at home against South Africa, Tendulkar resigned and Sourav Ganguly took over as captain in 2000.
Injuries
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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.
Although he was in strong form in season 2004, tennis elbow then took its toll on Tendulkar, leaving him out of the side for most of the year, coming back only for the last two tests when Australia toured India in 2004. He played a part in India's victory in Mumbai in that series, though Australia took the series 2-1.
After the 2006 series against England, news of a shoulder operation raised more questions about his longevity. Tendulkar was operated upon for his injured shoulder. In July 2006, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that Tendulkar had overcome his injury problem following a rehabilitation program and was available for selection, and he was eventually selected for the next series.
Famous 2001 tour of Africa, The Mike Denness Incident
In the second test of India's 2001 tour of South Africa, match referee Mike Denness fined four Indian players for excessive appealing as well as the Indian captain Sourav Ganguly for not controlling his team. Tendulkar was given a suspended ban of one game in light of alleged ball tampering.
Television cameras picked up images that suggested Tendulkar may have been involved in cleaning the seam of the cricket ball in the second test match between India and South Africa at St George's Park, Port Elizabeth. This can, under some conditions, amount to altering the condition of the ball.
Denness found Tendulkar guilty of ball tampering charges and handed him a one test match ban. The incident escalated to include allegations of racism and led to Denness being barred from entering the venue of the third test match.
After a thorough investigation, the International Cricket Council revoked the official status of the match and the ban on Tendulkar was lifted. Tendulkar's ball tampering charges and Sehwag's ban for excessive appealing triggered a massive backlash from the Indian public and even the Indian parliament.
Failures
On March 19, 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, the first time that he had ever faced such flak. Tendulkar was to end the three-test series without a single half-century to his credit.
In the preparation for the 2007 Cricket World Cup, Tendulkar was criticized by Greg Chappell on his attitude. As per the report, Chappell felt that Tendulkar would be more useful down the order, while the latter felt that he would be better off opening the innings, the role he had played for most of his career.
Chappell also believed that Tendulkar's repeated failures were hurting the team's chances. In a rare show of emotion, Tendulkar hit out at the comments attributed to Chappell by pointing out that no coach has ever suggested his attitude towards cricket is incorrect. On April 7, 2007, the Board of Control for Cricket in India issued a notice to Tendulkar asking for an explanation for his comments made to the media.
At the Cricket World Cup 2007 in the West Indies, Tendulkar and the Indian cricket team, led by Rahul Dravid, had a dismal campaign. Tendulkar, who was pushed to bat lower down the order by Chappell, had scores of seven (Bangladesh), 57* (Bermuda) and zero (Sri Lanka). As a result, former Australian captain Ian Chappell, brother Greg, called for Tendulkar to retire in his column for Mumbai's Mid-Day newspaper.
Comeback
In the 2007 series against Bangladesh, Tendulkar returned to his opening slot and was Man of the Series. He continued by scoring two consecutive scores of 90+ in the Future Cup against South Africa. He was the leading run scorer and was judged the Man of the Series.
Tendulkar upon reaching his 38th test century against Australia in the second Test at the SCG in 2008, where he finished not out on 154.
On the second day of the Nottingham Test (July 28, 2007), Tendulkar became the third cricketer to complete 11,000 test runs. In the subsequent one-day series against England, Tendulkar was the leading run scorer from India with an average of 53.42. In the ODI Series against Australia in October 2007, he also was the leading Indian run scorer with 278.
Tendulkar was dismissed seven times in 2007 between 90 and 100, including three times at 99, leading some to suggest that he struggles to cope with nerves in this phase of his career. Tendulkar has got out 23 times between 90 and 100 in his international career.
On Nov. 8, 2007 he got out on 99 against Pakistan in an ODI at Mohali to the bowling of Umar Gul caught by Kamran Akmal. In the fourth ODI, he got out on 97 (off 102 balls with 16 fours) after dragging a delivery from Umar Gul on to his stumps, falling short of another century in ODIs in 2007.
In the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, 2007-08, Tendulkar showed exceptional form, becoming the leading run scorer with 493 runs in four tests, despite consistently failing in the second innings. Sachin scored 62 runs in the first innings of the first test at the MCG in Melbourne, but couldn't prevent a heavy 337-run win for Australia.
In the controversial New Year's Test at Sydney, Tendulkar scored an unbeaten 154 as India lost the test. This was his third century at the SCG, earning him an average of 221.33 at the ground. In the third test at the WACA in Perth, Sachin was instrumental in India's first innings score of 330, scoring a well-compiled 71, only to be dismissed by what was later confirmed to be a questionable LBW decision.
India went on to record a historic triumph at the WACA. In the fourth test at Adelaide, which ended in a draw, he scored 153 in the first innings, involving in a crucial 126 run stand with V.V.S. Laxman for the fifth wicket to lead India to a score of 282 for five from 156 for four. He secured the Player of the Match award.
In the One-Day International Commonwealth Bank Tri-Series involving Sri Lanka and Australia, Tendulkar became the first and only batsman to complete 16,000 runs in ODIs. He achieved this feat against Sri Lanka on Feb. 5, 2008 at Brisbane. He started the CB series well, notching up scores of 10, 35, 44 and 32, but could not convert the starts into bigger scores.
His form dipped a bit in the middle of the tournament, but Sachin came back strongly in India's must-win game against Sri Lanka at Hobart, scoring 63 off 54 balls. He finished the series with a match winning 117 not out of 120 balls in the first final, and 91 runs in the second final.
County Career
In 1992, at 19, Tendulkar became the first overseas player to represent Yorkshire (Craig White, although born in Yorkshire, was the first player to be signed as an overseas player by Yorkshire. He had to be listed as an overseas player as he had already played for Victoria in Australia). Tendulkar played 16 first-class matches for the county and scored 1070 runs at an average of 46.52.
Style of Play
Sachin is ambidextrous. He bats, bowls, and throws with his right hand, but writes with his left hand. He also practices left-handed throws at the nets on a regular basis. Cricinfo columnist Sambit Bal has described him as the "most wholesome batsman of his time."
His batting is based on complete balance and poise while limiting unnecessary movements and flourishes. He appears to show little preference for the slow and low wickets which are typical in India, and has scored many centuries on the hard, bouncy pitches in the Caribbean Islands and Australia.
He is known for his unique punch style of hitting the ball over square. He is also renowned for his picture-perfect straight drive, often completed with no follow through. Recently, legendary Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar, in an article he wrote in the AFP, remarked that "it is hard to imagine any player in the history of the game who combines classical technique with raw aggression like the little champion does."
Bradman considered Tendulkar to have a batting style similar to his. In his biography, it is stated that "Bradman was most taken by Tendulkar's technique, compactness and shot production, and had asked his wife to have a look at Tendulkar, having felt that Tendulkar played like him. Bradman's wife, Jessie, agreed that they did appear similar."
New Playing Style
He was affected by a series of injuries since 2004. Since then, Tendulkar's batting has tended to be less attacking. Explaining this change in his batting style, he has acknowledged that he is batting differently due to that fact that (1) No batsman can bat the same way for the entire length of a long career, and (2) He is a senior member of the team now and thus has more responsibility.
During the early part of his career, he was a more attacking batsman and frequently scored centuries at close to a run a ball. Ian Chappell recently remarked that "Tendulkar now is nothing like the player he was when he was a young bloke." However, during the latest tour of Australia in 2008, Tendulkar displayed glimpses of his attacking style with several masterful innings, dominating attacks in a manner reminiscent of his younger days.
Honors and Community Involvement
Sachin sponsors 200 underprivileged children every year through Apnalaya, a Mumbai-based NGO associated with his mother-in-law, Annaben Mehta. He is reluctant to speak about his charitable activities, choosing to preserve the sanctity of his personal life despite the media interest in him.
* Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian award, 2008.
* ICC World ODI XI: 2004, 2007
* Player of the tournament in 2003 Cricket World Cup
* Wisden Cricketer of the Year: 1997
* Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award, 1999.
* Arjuna Award, by the Government of India in recognition of his outstanding achievement in Cricket, 1994.
* Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, India’s highest honor given for achievement in sports, 1997-98.
In September 2007, former Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne published his list of 50 greatest cricketers ever, in which Sachin had secured the No. 1 spot. In January 2008, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown suggested that Sachin should be conferred with an honorary knighthood for his contribution to international cricket.
