Sachin Tendulkar:

My Favourite Hero
A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself
- Joseph Campbell

The Ramayana has Lord Rama, the Mahabharata has Lord Krishna and cricket has
the Little Master Sachin Tendulkar. Well, it is rightly said that if cricket were a
religion, Sachin would be the god. The hero of Indian cricket, Sachin Ramesh
Tendulkar is a national icon to fans all over the world. He has given his life to the
game of cricket. He is my favourite hero, because he is the one who is born to break
all records. The Zimbabwean player, Andy Flower once said, I have seen two kinds
of batsmen in the world. One is Sachin and the second are all the others. He has
broken many records till date and even today he is getting stronger and stronger.
He is the leading run scorer and century maker both in Tests and ODIs. He is the
first cricketer to cross 14,000- run bar in the Test cricket and 18,000- mark in ODIs.
He is the only batsman to score a double hundred in ODIs.
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, the name itself strikes terror in the hearts of
bowlers and captains all over the world. He is famously called the Little Master or
Master Blaster. This legend and star of Indian cricket was born on April 24, 1973 in
Mumbai. He studied in Sharadashram Vidyamandir, a high school in Mumbai, where
he began his cricketing career under the guidance of his coach and mentor
Mr.Ramakant Achrekar. When Sachin was young, his coach would place a one-rupee
coin on top of the stump and the player who got him out world be rewarded. In case
he was not dismissed, then that reward was passed on to Sachin. 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 Tendulkar should focus on his batting instead.
While at school, his extraordinary batting skills got noticed by the sports
circuit. The young boy soon became one of the greats in cricket. When he was
fourteen, he Indian batting legend, Sunil Gavaskar, gave him a pair of his own light
pads. This touching gesture greatly encouraged the budding cricketer, who twenty
years later, broke Gavaskars world record of 34 Test Centuries.
He stepped into international cricket in 1989, playing his first Test against
Pakistan and was bowled by Waqar Younis on 15. Within a month, he played his first
debut in the ODI against Pakistan scoring a Duck. When Sachin entered the world of
cricket, experts criticized him a lot with regard to his height, but the tallest of the
bowlers like Curtley Ambrose, Courtney Walsh, etc., have proven short in front of
him. This man 5 ft 5 inch, with his amazing talent, today has become the tallest
player in the world of cricket. With each passing year in the international area, he
became more and more consistent and a permanent top-order batsman in the
Indian team. He became the super hero of a billion people in India. If Sachin plays

well, then India sleeps well. Matthew Hayden once quoted I have seen GOD, he
bats at no.4 for India in Tests.
In 1995, Sachin married Anjali, a doctor and the daughter of a Gujarati
industrialist, Anand Mehta. They have two children, Sara and Arjun. Tendulkar now
sponsors 200 underprivileged children every year through a Mumbai based NGO.
In the 2003 Cricket World Cup, he made 673 runs in 11 matches which enabled
India reach the final. Although Australia won the trophy, Tendulkar was given the
Man of the Tournament Award. Till the last World Cup, he had played in five World
Cups and finally in his Sixth World Cup in 2011, his dream of lifting the Cup came
true.
Every individual has his own style, his own way of presenting himself on
and off the filed, says Tendulkar.
There are no apparent weaknesses in Sachins game. He has his own style
and own way. He can score all around the wicket, off both front foot and back foot.
He can tackle any kind of bowler.
His technique is impeccable and he is very professional in his approach and
has made the highest runs in a single calendar year. He packs tremendous power
and strength into his short, stocky frame and his ability to time the ball is
exemplary. He has been consistent, aggressive, physically fit and most importantly,
always down to earth.
He has been improving on his excellence every day. He has been hitting
Fifties, Centuries, Double Centuries consistently in all forms of the game. If you have
observed his game nowadays, you might have noticed, many a time he steps out of
crease and if bowlers try to confuse him by bowling bouncers or off stump, one can
easily discern that in that situation also, he places the ball in gaps and that is really
awesome. He runs in between the wickets like a Cheetah. In his 30s he is running
like 20-year-old runner.
He has been honoured with many prestigious awards including Padma
Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, Arjuna Award and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel
Ratna Award, Indias highest sporting honour. Today, Sachin Tendulkar is the most
admired cricketer in the world. He is a role model. He is passionate about his game.
He enjoys every moment of his profession. His dedication, hard world, and sincerity
make him achieve success consistently and so he is not only successful in his
career, but the is at the top in his profession also. Still he is down to earth. He
respects his game, country and his fans. He is very much honest and loyal to
cricket, country, his family and his fans. His fame, popularity never make him
complacent. Every Indian should be proud of him. Every Indian should be proud of
him. None of the batsmen can replace him and no words can express his amazing
talent, power and achievement.