Affectionately known as the Master Blaster, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is one of the best cricketers that India has ever seen. He holds a whole host of records, including being the highest run-scorer of all time, not just in India, but in international cricket in general. Although Tendulkar is still playing to this day in Legends games, he has long since left the world of top-level international cricket.
After hearing the news of Sachin Tendulkar’s recent hospitalization, we take an opportunity to wish him a speedy recovery and to look back on the extraordinary life and career of this incredible batsman.
Early Life
Tendulkar was born on the 24th of April 1973 in Bombay into a family of three elder siblings and two delighted parents, Ramesh Tendulkar, a well-known writer, and his mother Rajni, an insurance broker. Once he was of age, he attended school alongside his siblings in Bandra. He initially struggled to behave himself, with nonsense and mischief occasionally creeping into his lessons. His older sibling Ajit thought that burning off some of his energy with sports might help him to behave himself during classes, so he asked the cricket coach to let Sachin try out for the cricket team.
Although initially Sachin suffered from stage fright, his natural prowess for the sport shone through. The coach was impressed with Sachin and suggested he swap schools to one with a more advanced cricket team. Sachin would complete the rest of his education at the Sharadashram Vidyamandir School without complaint and would practice cricket for as long as the light would allow him to. During these training sessions his coach would put a rupee on top of the cricket stumps and whoever bowled Sachin out would get to keep it. If nobody managed it then Sachin kept the coin. He still has all 13 of the coins that he won today and considers them his most prized trophies.
Becoming Professional
In 1987 at the age of just 14, Sachin was chosen to represent Bombay in the Rajni trophy, however, he never got a chance to bat during this season. His time to shine came a year later when he scored a century in every innings he played, including in his first game, making him the youngest Indian to score a century on his debut.
Sachin would become the highest run-scorer in the Rajni Trophy, securing his place on the team. Back at school that year, he, and his friend Vinod Kambi would score an incredible 644 run partnership, in an inter-school game. So formidable was the pair that they reduced one of the bowlers to tears. This game would hold a record for 18 years.
International Career
As before, Sachin was to win the title of the youngest player to be selected for India in an international match, at the age of just 16. He batted brilliantly in all of the games that he was selected for in the first season, winning the admiration of many of the great sports commentators. Wisden, colloquially known as the Bible of cricket wrote of him, “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 pacemen.”
It was clear that Sachin’s talent had not gone unnoticed. The presence of Sachin on the Indian team bolstered the nerves of the bookmakers, odds shortened for games that Sachin would appear in, and rightly so. Nowadays there are a whole host of hopefuls like Sachin Tendulkar, who each make their own mark on the betting market. If you enjoy sports betting then it’s worth looking at AsiaBet, which reviews leading sports betting sites in India to ensure that their customers get the best odds possible, even when batsmen who are rising through the ranks like Sachin was are making an appearance.
His Absolute Prime
Whilst it can’t be argued that Sachin’s reign had been incredible up until this point, the years from 1994 until 1999 would be considered his absolute peak. This period was marked by the clash between Sachin and the current world-leading spin-bowler Shane Warne. Not one to be frightened of a challenge, Tendulkar’s performance during the Australian tour was dominating. He made an unbeaten 204 as Shane Warne conceded 111 runs in 16 overs, meaning Australia would lose the match within just three short days. Of course, many other great wins and some crushing defeats came over the course of Sachin’s career, but this will always be remembered as one of his most important personal victories.
