Sachin Tendulkar, one of the greatest batsmen in the history of world cricket.
Sachin Tendulkar : The living legend
Excellence. Perseverance. Focus. Determination. Sincerity. A rock solid combination
of mind and body. That’s Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar
for you.
He is sent on earth to rule the cricket world and we know how well he rules his
kingdom. This terrific batsman holds more than 50 records today and is still going
strong. Hailed as the greatest cricketer ever, Sachin just does not let his charisma
fade away even after being on crease for more than 20 years. He is a living example
for all the aspirants in their respective fields on how to stay focused and excel
in whatever you do, whenever you do it.
Sachin was born in Mumbai on 24th April 1973.
His mother, Rajni, working in insurance and his father, Ramesh Tendulkar, an acclaimed
Marathi poet, named him after their favourite music director; S.D.Burman. Sachin
went to Shradashram Vidyamandir, a high school in Mumbai, where he began his cricketing
career under the guidance of his coach; Ramakant Achrekar. He attended the MRF Pace
Foundation during his schooldays to train as a fast bowler, but Australian fast
bowler Dennis Lillee, who saw him training, was not much impressed and suggested
that Sachin should focus on his batting instead. While at school, his extraordinary
batting skills got noticed by the sports circuit. People felt that the young boy
would soon become a great cricketer. In the 1988 season, he scored a century in every
inning that he played. In one of the inter school matches that year, he had an unbroken
664-run partnership with friend and teammate Vinod Kambli.
When he was young, Sachin would practice for hours in the nets. If he became exhausted,
Achrekar sir would put a one rupee coin on the top of the stumps and the bowler
who dismissed Sachin would get the coin. If Sachin passed the whole session without
getting dismissed, the coach would give him the coin. Sachin now considers the 13
coins he won then as some of his most prized possessions.
When he was 14, Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar, gave him a pair of his own
light pads. This touching gesture greatly encouraged the budding cricketer, who
20 years later broke Gavaskar’s world record of 34 test centuries.
At the very young age of 16, Sachin played his first test match against Pakistan
in Karachi in 1989. In this test, he received several blows to his body at the hands
of Waqar Younis, a pace bowler. He made just 15 runs. In the last test in Sialkot,
he had a bloody nose from a bouncer, but he went on playing. He scored better in
the subsequent games, scoring 53 runs of 18 balls at Peshawar. In the 1990 test
in England he scored a century at Old Trafford. During the 1991-1992 tour of Australia,
the batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar scored an unbeaten 148 in Sydney and another
century on a bouncing pitch a Perth. In the 2003 Cricket
World Cup, Sachin made 673 runs in 11 matches which enabled India reach
the final. Although Australia won the trophy, Sachin was given the
Man of the Tournament award.
Today, standing on a huge pile of runs the master blaster,
Sachin is a source of inspiration for budding cricketers. During his long career
span, he has seen many ups and downs, but it was his commitment to the game and
undying vigour, that has made him the king of the game. This is the story that tells
us that miracles can happen if you just stay focused on your goals and devote every
second of your life to achieve those goals. A national icon, Sachin personifies
excellence and lights the path to victory!
