Yet another blistering year for "the Little Master"
He definitely ruled the year 2008. Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar has ended the year with a bang. Not only did he break Brian Lara’s record of scoring highest number of Test runs but also received the second highest civilian award of India, Padma Vibhushan.
His unbeaten 103, leading India to achieve the fourth-highest run chase in history to stun England by six wickets, has silenced all his critics, proving that he can score, even in the second innings. The India-England Test at Chennai was one of the best matches India has ever played.
However, the Test against Australia that was played in the later’s homeground in 1993 in which he scored a breath taking century on the fastest wicket in the World against one of the most fearsome pace bowling attack of the 90s, remains the most memorable one till date because of the rare result. This match will always be remembered for the excellent performance by the living legend.
He was a mentor, holding the innings together till the end as an anchor. His performance has sent a clear message to his critics — he can still be depended upon. Indeed, it was one of the magic moments for Indian cricket after the 1983 World Cup. Tendulkar, as is well known, is also one of the most sponsored player in world cricket. Starting his career against Pakistan in 1989, he has since played 155 Test matches, amassing 12,413 runs at an average of over 54.68 runs per match.
His unbeaten 103, leading India to achieve the fourth-highest run chase in history to stun England by six wickets, has silenced all his critics, proving that he can score, even in the second innings. The India-England Test at Chennai was one of the best matches India has ever played.
However, the Test against Australia that was played in the later’s homeground in 1993 in which he scored a breath taking century on the fastest wicket in the World against one of the most fearsome pace bowling attack of the 90s, remains the most memorable one till date because of the rare result. This match will always be remembered for the excellent performance by the living legend.
He was a mentor, holding the innings together till the end as an anchor. His performance has sent a clear message to his critics — he can still be depended upon. Indeed, it was one of the magic moments for Indian cricket after the 1983 World Cup. Tendulkar, as is well known, is also one of the most sponsored player in world cricket. Starting his career against Pakistan in 1989, he has since played 155 Test matches, amassing 12,413 runs at an average of over 54.68 runs per match.
Throughout his career, he has been a statistician’s delight - be it Test cricket, one-day internationals or the shortest version T20. He has 41centuries to his credit in Test cricket. Critics had earlier categorised him as ‘not a Test match winner’, but this Test proved them all wrong. He has been a nightmare for the greatest of the great bowlers.
The most famous ones being the Mike Denness incident in South Africa tour in 2001 when he was accused of ball tampering and the Ferrari customs’ waiver issue. Questions have been raised about his ability as a champion, but he still remains one of the world’s best batsmen. He stands at the top of the cricket’s Everest. He has been an inspiration for cricket players and has a huge following not only in India but all over the world.
His popularity can be adjudged by the fact that at the age of 35, he already has four biographies written. Tendulkar has no doubt been the most thorough batsman of his time, and arguably the biggest cricket icon. His aura hasn’t dimmed and he remains the most worshipped cricketer in the world.
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