The undisputed darling of India, Sachin Tendulkar cannot be said to have cricket in his blood. He was born into a middle class family where the atmosphere was more academic in nature. Sachin’s father, Ramesh Tendulkar was a Marathi novelist and teacher who might just a have passing interest in sports. It was elder brother Ajit who noticed child Sachin’s talents in cricket and got him shifted to Dadar’s Shraddhashram Vidya Mandir so that he could be groomed by Ramakant Achrekar, a well-known name in Mumbai’s cricketing circles. Ajit’s decision paid off – Sachin soon caught everyone’s eye by featuring in a massive 600-odd run partnership with Vinod Kambli, who later also made it to the Indian team.
One of the greatest batsmen of all times, Sachin’s cricket statistics is just awesome. Making his Test debut in 1989/90 against Pakistan when he was just 16, he has scored over 10,000 runs that include a record 37 centuries. He made his ODI debut in the same year against the same country and has over 15,000 runs under his belt with no less than 41 hundreds, both records unlikely to be broken in the near future. Sachin is also a useful bowler, particularly in one-day cricket, who can both spin and swing the ball. A reliable fielder in all positions as well, he can contribute to the team in any area of the game. However, he could not succeed much as captain of the Indian team, and later expressed his lack of interest in leading the team.
Accolades have been showered on him from all quarters throughout his career, but the greatest compliment perhaps came from the legendary Don Bradman, who once said Sachin batted in the same style as he did in the past. In spite of earning so much fame and money, Sachin has not allowed success to go to his head. He is still humble, soft-spoken rarely expressing his emotions that could hurt anyone.
Sachin tied the knot with Anjali, a doctor, in 1995. They have two children, a daughter (Sara) and a son (Arjun). Sachin also loves tennis and is a fan of Roger Federer at present. He also loves music, and is often found absorbed in it during tours. Away from public eye, he is involved in a number of charitable activities too.
|
