Some time back, a scholar said cricket is their religion and Sachin is their god, given his fame across the world the comment is perfectly apt for the genius. On a wintry morning on November 15, 1989, aged 16 years only, he walked on the cricket pitch against traditional rival in National Stadium, Karachi, with joy on his face and sparkle in his eyes. Since that very day he has been doing what he loves most, play for India and score runs to bring victory for the nation. He has said in interviews it was his dream to play for the country and he still loves to play for India with same passion even after two decades of international cricket.        

In his debut match, itself the wiz kid faced the likes of Wasim Akaram and Waqar Younus bravely, even getting hit on his body. Sachin gave the glimpse of his batting prowess in his first test series itself, he scored 215 runs, with a moderate average of 35.83.

When aged only 17, Sachin scored his first test hundred against England in 1990, and with that feet he became second youngest cricketer in the world of cricket to do so.  

"He looked the embodiment of India's famous opener, Gavaskar, and indeed was wearing a pair of his pads. While he displayed a full repertoire of strokes in compiling his maiden Test hundred, most remarkable were his off-side shots from the back foot. Though only 5ft 5in tall, he was still able to control without difficulty short deliveries from the English paceman," wrote Wisden on his first century.  

After completing twenty years in international cricket, Sachin stands tall, way ahead of his present and past contemporaries, whether its Aussie Ricky Ponting or test legend Brian Lara. Till November 15, Sachin has played 159 Test matches, scoring 12773 runs, with an average of 54.58. In his glorious Test career, he has scored 42 centuries and 53 half centuries. His highest test score has been 248. Although he has been seldom used as a bowler in cricket but even on that front he didn’t disappoint, he has taken 44 wickets in his glorious Test career. His fielding has also been top class, he has taken 102 catches.       

Now the genius in Sachin has reached a niche in cricket where his every run becomes a world record. He is one of those celebrities who have remained down to earth even after wonderful achievement. Wisden’s 2002 list on Test cricket ranked him as the second greatest Test batsman of all time, the list was led by the great Don Bradman.       

He is the only cricketer in the modern era to have found his name in the great Sir Don Bradman’s team, “I saw him playing on television and was struck by his technique, so I asked my wife to come look at him. Now I never saw myself play, but I feel that this player is playing much the same as I used to play, and she looked at him on Television and said yes, there is a similarity between the two...hi compactness, technique, stroke production... it all seemed to gel! in reference to Sachin Tendulkar” said Bradman.