Sachin Tendulkar...The God of Cricket.....

Name : Sachin Tendulkar
Full name : Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar
Nick name :The Master Blaster, The Little Champion, The Bombay Bomber
Height : 5′4′’
Born : 24-04-1974
Birth place: Bombay, India
Test Debut: Pakistan at Karachi, 1st Test, 1989/90
ODI Debut: Pakistan at Gujranwala, 2nd ODI, 1989/90
1st Class Debut: 1988
Major Teams: Mumbai, Yorkshire, India
Known As: Sachin Tendulkar
Batting Style: Right Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Right Arm Off Break, Leg Break, Right Arm Medium, Leg Break Googly
Marital Status: Married
Wife�s Name: Anjali Tendulkar
Children: Two (One Boy and One Girl)
Girl�s Name: Sarah Tendulkar
Boy�s Name: Arjun Tendulkar

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (born 24 April 1973) is an Indian cricketer. He holds several batting records, including the most Test centuries and the most one-day international centuries, and was rated in 2002 by Wisden as the second greatest Test batsman ever, after Sir Don Bradman[1]. He received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, India’s highest sporting honour, for 1997-1998, and the civilian award Padma Shri in 1999. Tendulkar was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1997.

Early days

Born in Mumbai (then Bombay) into a middle-class family, Sachin Tendulkar was named after his family’s favourite music director Sachin Dev Burman. He went to Sharadashram Vidyamandir School where he started his cricketing career under coach Ramakant Achrekar. While at school, he was involved in a mammoth 664 run partnership in a Harris Shield game with friend and team mate Vinod Kambli. In 1988/1989, he scored 100 not-out in his first first-class match, for Bombay against Gujarat. At 15 years and 232 days he was the youngest to score a century on debut.

International career

Sachin played his first international match against Pakistan in Karachi in 1989, facing the likes of Wasim Akram, Imran Khan, Abdul Qadir, and Waqar Younis. He made just 15 runs, being bowled by Waqar Younis, who also made his debut in that match. It was an inauspicious start, but Tendulkar followed it up with his maiden Test fifty a few days later at Faisalabad. His One-day International (ODI) debut on December 18 was equally disappointing, where he was dismissed without scoring a run, again by Waqar Younis. The series was followed by a non-descript tour of New Zealand in which he fell for 88 in a Test match, John Wright, who would later coach India, pouching the catch that prevented Tendulkar from becoming the youngest centurion in Test cricket. The long anticipated maiden Test century came in England’s tour in 1990 but the other scores were not remarkable. Tendulkar truly came into his own in the 1991-1992 tour of Australia that included a brilliant century on the fast and bouncy track at Perth. He has been Man of the Match 11 times in Test matches and Man of the Series twice, both times in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.

His first ODI century came on September 9, 1994 against Australia in Sri Lanka at Colombo. It had taken Tendulkar 79 ODIs to score a century.

Sachin Tendulkar is the only player to score a century while making his Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy and Irani Trophy debut.

Wisden named Tendulkar one of the Cricketers of the Year in 1997, the first calendar year in which he scored 1,000 Test runs. He repeated the feat in 1999, 2001, and 2002.

Tendulkar also holds the record for scoring 1,000 ODI runs in a calendar year. He has done it six times - 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2003. In 1998 he made 1,894 ODI runs, still the record for ODI runs by any batsman in any given calendar year.

While not a regular bowler, Tendulkar has 37 wickets in 132 tests.

Highlights of Tendulkar’s Test career include:

* Rated as the second best batsman of all time (next to Don Bradman) by Wisden [1][3]
* Highest number of Test centuries (35), overtaking Sunil Gavaskar’s record (34) on 10 December 2005 vs Sri Lanka in Delhi.
* Played in the highest number of Cricket Grounds - he has played Test Cricket on 52 different grounds, ahead of Azharuddin (48), Kapil Dev (47), Inzamam-ul-Haq (46) and Wasim Akram (45).
* He is the fastest to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket history. He holds this record along with Brian Lara. Both of them achieved this feat in 195 innings.
* 4th highest tally of runs in Test cricket (10,323)
* Career Average 55.79 - Has the highest average among those who have scored over 10,000 Test runs
* Second Indian to make over 10,000 runs in Test matches.
* Has 37 Test wickets (14 Dec 2005)
* Second fastest player to reach 9000 runs (Brian Lara made 9000 in 177 innings, Sachin in 179.)

Highlights of Tendulkar’s ODI career include:

* Played more matches than any other cricketer
* Most Man of the Match (50) awards
* Appeared on the most grounds (89 different grounds)
* Most runs (14,146 as of 15th February, 2006)
* Most centuries (39)
* Most centuries vs. Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.
* First cricketer to cross 10,000-run mark in ODIs
* Only cricketer to cross 14,000-run mark in ODIs
* Only player to have over 100 innings of 50+ runs as of February, 2006
* Over 100 wickets (141 as of 15th February, 2006)
* Highest batting average among batsmen with over 10,000 ODI runs (as of March 17, 2006)
* Highest individual score among Indian batsmen (186* against New Zealand at Hyderabad in 1999)
* Holds the record for scoring 1,000 ODI runs in a calendar year. He has done it six times - 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2003.
* In 1998 he made 1,894 ODI runs, still the record for ODI runs by any batsman in any given calendar year.
* In 1998 he hit 9 ODI centuries, the highest by any player in an year.

World Cup

* Most runs (1732 at an average of 59.72) in World Cup Cricket History
* Player Of The Tournament in the 2003 Cricket World Cup.
* 673 runs in 2003 World Cup, highest by any one in a single Cricket World Cup

Miscellaneous

* Sachin Tendulkar is the first batsman to have been declared run out by a third umpire in 1992 against South Africa in South Africa.
* He was the first overseas cricketer to play for Yorkshire CCC in 1992.
* Oddly, Wisden does not include any innings by Tendulkar among its list of 100 greatest Test batting performances.

Criticism and recent performance

The case against Sachin Tendulkar’s recent performances was summed up by Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack in its 2005 edition: “Apart from a glorious, nothing-to-lose 55 against Australia on a Mumbai terrortrack, watching Tendulkar became a colder experience: after his humbling 2003, he seemed to reject his bewitching fusion of majesty and human frailty in favour of a mechanical, robotic accumulation.”

The criticism must be seen against the backdrop of Tendulkar’s performance through the years 1994-1999, coinciding with his physical peak, at age 20 through 25. Tendulkar was told to open the batting at Auckland against New Zealand in 1994 [4]. He went on to make 82 runs off 49 balls. This was the beginning of a glorious period, culminating in the Australian tour of 1998-1999, following which Australian spinner Shane Warne ruefully joked that he was having nightmares about his Indian nemesis.

A chronic back problem flared up when Pakistan toured India in 1999, with India losing the historic Test at Chepauk despite a gritty century from Tendulkar himself. Worse was to come as Professor Ramesh Tendulkar, Sachin’s father, died in the middle of the 1999 cricket World Cup. Tendulkar, succeeding Mohammad Azharuddin as captain, then led India on a tour of Australia, where the visitors were comprehensively beaten 3-0 [6] by the newly-crowned world champions. Tendulkar resigned, and Sourav Ganguly took over as captain in 2000.

Tendulkar made 673 runs in 11 matches in the 2003 World Cup, helping India reach the finals. While Australia retained the trophy that it had won in 1999, Tendulkar was given the Man of the Series award.

The drawn series as India toured Australia in 2003-2004 saw Tendulkar making his mark in the last Test of the series, with a double century in Sydney. The series was tied 1-1, with Rahul Dravid taking the Man of the Series award.

Tennis elbow then took its toll on Tendulkar, leaving him out of the side for the first two Tests when Australia toured India in 2005. He played a part in the facesaving Indian victory in Mumbai, though Australia had already taken the series 2-1, with the Chennai Test drawn.

Of late, as Wisden noted, Tendulkar has not been his old aggressive self. Expert opinion is divided on whether this is due to his increasing years or the lingering after-effects of injuries over 17 years at the highest level. On 10 December, 2005, at Feroz Shah Kotla, he delighted fans with a record-breaking 35th Test century, against the Sri Lankans. But doubts were raised once again when he averaged a mere 21 over three Test innings when India toured Pakistan in 2006.

On 6 February 2006, Tendulkar scored his 39th ODI hundred, in a match against Pakistan. Tendulkar now has 16 more ODI tons than the man who is second on the list of ODI century-makers, Sourav Ganguly. He followed with a run-a-ball 42 in the second ODI against Pakistan on February 11, 2006, and then a truly masterly 95 in hostile conditions on 13 February, 2006 in Lahore.

On 19 March 2006, after scoring an unconvincing 1 off 21 balls against England in the first innings of the third Test in his home ground, Wankhede, Tendulkar was booed off the ground by a section of the crowd[7], the first time that he has ever faced such flak. While cheered on when he came for his second innings, Tendulkar was to end the three-Test series without a single half-century to his credit, and news of a shoulder operation raised more questions about his longevity. Geoffrey Boycott was brutal in his assessment: “Sachin Tendulkar is in the worst form of his career…Now that he’s going to sit out for a further two months, I don’t think he can ever come back to regain what he once had.”

Personal life

Sachin Tendulkar married Anjali Mehta, the paediatrician daughter of Gujarati industrialist Anand Mehta, in 1995, some years after they were introduced by mutual friends. They have two children, Sara (born October 1997) and Arjun (born 23 September, 2000). Tendulkar sponsors 200 under-privileged children every year through Apnalaya, a Mumbai-based NGO associated with his mother-in-law, Annabel Mehta. He is reluctant to speak about this, or other charitable activities, choosing to preserve the sanctity of his personal life despite the overwhelming media interest in him. Tendulkar has been seen taking his Ferrari 360 Modena for late-night drives in Mumbai. (Gifted by Fiat through Michael Schumacher, the car became notorious when Tendulkar was given customs exemption; Fiat paid the dues to end the controversy.)

Sachin has enthralled his legions of fans with many a great innings in the ten years that he has played cricket. We take a look back of some of these superlative innings that have earned him the fan following of millions.
Memorable Moments in ONE DAY INNINGS

1] 27th March 1994, India vs New Zealand, Eden Park Auckland: It was the first time Sachin opened the innings in ODI’s. Opener Navjot Singh Sidhu got injured and although India were chasing a small victory target of 146 no batsman was willing to open on a seaming Eden Park wicket. But Sachin took the responsibility of opening the innings. And what a happy accident it turned out to be as he smashed 82 off 43 balls. Describing this knock Sachin said “Such innings’s are possible only once in a life time. It was like a dream.”

2] 15th April, 1996: India vs Pakistan, Sharjah Pakistan have always had an edge over their arch rivals at the desert venue and 1996 was no different. India had lost both their games one to Pakistan and the other to South Africa. In a must win game Sachin Tendulkar displayed guts and determination in plenty and smashed a brilliant hundred. He shared a wonderful second wicket partnership of 232 runs along with Navjot Sidhu and helped India to a total of 305. Incidentally, it was the first time that India scored in excess of 300 runs in a one day match.

3] 22nd April 1998: India vs Australia (”Sandstorm innings”), Sharjah “The best innings he has ever played” is how commentator Ravi Shastri described Sachin’s performance on that eventful, emotionally draining and nerve jangling day at Sharjah. India were playing Australia who after batting first put up a massive 283 runs putting the Indians under pressure. India needed to win the match to qualify for the finals of the Coca Cola Cup or end up 30 runs short of the Australian score in order to get a back door entry into the finals and pip the Kiwis. After losing four quick wickets a struggling VVS Laxman came in to join Sachin and the Indians seemed to be staring defeat in the face, needing more than a run a ball in the remaining 20 odd overs. As if things were not bad enough then a massive sandstorm came in from no where and interrupted the game for about half an hour. The target was readjusted and India needed to get 237 in 46 overs and the asking rate became more steep - India were asked to get 94 runs in 87 balls. But before he resumed his innings Sachin assured Indian team coach Anshuman Gaekwad by saying, “Don’t worry, I’ll be there till the end.” Such was his confidence and determination. He smashed the first ball off Michael Kasprowicz for a six and then almost like a man posessed made 143, taking India into the finals of the Coca-Cola Cup. India lost the match by 20 odd runs but that superb knock helped India have one more crack at the Aussies in the finals on Sachin Tendulkar’s birthday.

4] 24th April 1998 India vs Australia (”Happy Birthday Sachin”) Finals of the Coca Cola Trophy, Sharjah: The crowds at the Sharjah, had come with banners wishing Sachin a happy 25th birthday along with their intense desire to see him play another one of those blinders and take India to victory. Sachin didn’t disappoint them. Australia had put up a huge target of 273 and that meant India had quite a chase on their hands. Before the Indian innings began noted Australian commentator Greg Chappell made a telling comment. He said, “Sachin will be feeling just a little bit drained from his previous effort and the weight of the entire Indian population will be on his young shoulders.” He was right but Sachin went about his task with clinical precision and made 134. He unleashed some of his breathtaking strokes and power only after he had ensured that India were well on the road to victory. After depositing Aussie paceman Michael Kasprowicz on to the roof of the Sharjah stadium, noted TV commentator Tony Greig said, “This little man is the nearest thing to Bradman there’s ever been.” Sachin ended up sweeping almost all the awards after India emerged victorious. He also won an Opel Astra for his efforts at Sharjah an award which he dedicated to his wife, on his 25th birthday.

5] 29th May, 1999 India vs Kenya (”This one’s for you dad”), India vs Kenya, Bristol: Sachin Tendulkar’s 140 not out in the match against Kenya said a lot about the temperament that the litle champion possesses. India were under pressure to win the match to stay in contention as they had lost their previous two games to South Africa and Zimbabwe. Sachin had not taken part in the match against Zimbabwe as he had to return to India because of the rather unfortunate death of his father. However he made it a point to return to England for the World Cup. His hundred against Kenya is still talked about as one of the great knocks of all time simply because of all the pressures (most of them non-cricketing) he was under.

6] 31st March, 2000 India vs Australia, Indore: (Sachin’s creates history by becoming the first batsman in the history of limited overs cricket to score 10,000 runs.) Sachin came into the third one day international at Indore after he had slammed a rapid fire 35 and 32 in his previous two knocks at Bangalore and Pune respectively. He was rather unfairly criticised by some sections of the media who thought he batted irresponsibly. However the moment he walked in to bat at Indore one could see the determination on his face and one could almost anticipate a hundred from the Bombay Bomber. Sachin did not disappoint and he pulverised the Aussie bowlers and hammered his 28th one day hundred. Sachin’s inns of 139 off just 125 deliveries can easily be rated as one of his best one day inns as he was at his innovative best and he often played strokes that were cheeky to say the least. During his inns he also achieved the distinction of becoming the first player to reach the landmark of 10,000 runs in one day internationals. It was indeed a fine treble for Sachin as he reached 10,000 runs, slammed his 28th ton and he also helped India post a comprehensive win to take a 2-1 lead in the 5 match series. He rightly won the man of the match award for his stunning exploits.

Memorable Moments in TEST MATCHES :-

Test Matches:
1] 10-14th August 1990: 2nd test India vs England, Old Trafford Manchester: Sachin Tendulkar got to his first test hundred when he drove Angus Fraser past mid off for 3 runs and aged 17, became the second youngest player in test history to score a hundred after Mushtaq Mohammaed of Pakistan. However that knock had much more significance than just being his first test hundred. It helped India save a match that looked all but lost as they were tottering at 183/6 before tea chasing a victory target of 408 runs. Sachin who scored an unbeaten 119 to win the man of the match award. Manoj Prabhakar too played an important hand in helping India salvage a draw.

2] 2-6th January 1992, 3rd test India vs Australia, Sydney: Sachin holds the record for being the youngest batsman to score a hundred on Australian soil when he scored a superb 148 not out against Australia at the picturesque Sydney Cricket Ground. “Each and every stroke deserved to be stood up and applauded,” commented Aussie commentator Bill Lawry describing Sachin’s knock.

3] 1-5th February 1992 5th test India vs Australia, Perth: “It still remains my best test match innings,” said the man himself in a recent TV interview about his hundred on a fast and bouncy wicket at the WACA ground in Perth. On a pitch where batsmen of more experience and higher pedigree struggled against the pace of McDermott, Hughes, Whitney and Reiffel, Sachin who was still only 18 but fresh from his Sydney hundred played a gem. He coped with the pace and bounce quite easily and stroked his way to a beautiful hundred. Although his knock could not help India avoid another humiliating defeat it still remains one of the best knocks ever played at the WACA. After he got to his hundred, celebrated Aussie commentator Richie Benaud said, “It’s a great pity that an innings which deserved a crowd of over a 100,000 is being watched by a such a small crowd.”

4] 6-10th March 1998, 1st Test India vs Australia, Chennai. The Gavaskar-Border trophy between India and Australia was billed as the Warne vs Tendulkar series by fans and media alike, not surprising considering the reputation of the two great stars and their attacking instincts. But after being stripped of the Captaincy, Sachin batted like a man posessed almost out to prove a point. He was dismissed by the champion leg spinner for 4 in the first innings playing an ambitious stroke but in the second innings he decided to make amends and launched into Warne from the first delivery he bowled. India were trailing by 70 runs when they began their second innings and they needed a quick fire innings from some one if they had to make a match of it. His 155 not out in the second inns on a track that afforded sharp turn and bounce helped India win the test match. Says Ian Chappell about that inns, ” I will always remember that Chennai test match for a lot of good things but I will never forget for as long as I live the moment when Shane Warne came around the wicket for the first time and Tendulkar deposited him over the mid wicket boundary.”

5] 28 Jan to 1st Feb 1999, 1st test India vs Pakistan, Chennai: It was the first time that India and Pakistan were playing a test match on Indian soil for 12 years and the first ever test series between the two countries since 1989. Sachin was dismissed for a duck in the first inns by off spinner Saqlain Mushtaq. But Sachin more than made up for it by scoring 136 in the second inns and almost took India to an unlikely win. India were 82/5 in their second essay chasing 271 to win. Sachin battled back spasms and a pumped up Pakistani team with a superb blend of defence and attack. He carried on and when India were just 17 runs away from their target he fell victim to Saqlain again. His wicket gave the Pakistanis a new lease of life and they polished off the lower order to complete a thrilling 12 run win. That was the first time fans saw Sachin wince in pain on a cricket field and although he won the man of the match award it was little consolation for Sachin who broke down in the dressing room after he saw India being beaten from a seemingly winning position.

It’s not just his willow that speaks:

It’s not just Sachin’s willow that has enthralled Cricket fans the world over, he has also made telling contributions with the ball. Who can forget the dramatic last over that he bowled in the semi finals of the Hero Cup against the South Africans at Calcutta on that dramatic evening on November 24th 1993 in front of a packed Eden Gardens at Calcutta? The Springboks needed just 6 runs to win off the last over and Skipper Azharuddin was in a dilemma as to who should bowl the last over. Kapil Dev with over 400 test wickets and 200 ODI wickets would have been the obvious choice but the legendary all rounder was for once not game to take up the challenge. Sachin who was only 20 then literally snatched the ball from his skipper’s hands and with clever variations in pace and movement denied the Springboks a win.

He also picked up 5 wickets in the first match of the Pepsi Cup at Kochi against Australia on April 1 1998 to win the man of the match award.

Sachin also made telling breakthroughs in the second inns of the Kolkata test against Australia in the recently concluded series and picked up 3 wickets to give Harbhajan Singh the much needed support from the other end. Of course he also picked up his 100th one day victim when he dismissed Steve Waugh in the last one dayer at Goa. So he is the only member of the joint 100 wkt and 10,000 run club. And that is an awesome record which will take some beating.

Greatest Hits..

Ton-by-ton guide to Sachin Tendulkar’s feat in surpassing Sir Don Bradman’s 29 Test centuries.
1990 At the age of 17, Tendulkar reaches three figures for the first time in a Test as he makes 119 not out against England at Old Trafford. The innings includes 17 fours but the match is drawn.
1992

Tendulkar shows the Australian fans what he is capable of by batting almost five hours for an unbeaten 148 in the third Test at Sydney, but once again the game is drawn.

The following match in Perth sees him make 114 off 161 balls, with 16 fours, but India are beaten by 300 runs.

Tendulkar is a class apart as he makes 111 out of an Indian first innings total of 227 against South Africa in Johannesburg and at 19 years and 217 days becomes the youngest player to reach 1,000 Test runs.

1993
England are on the receiving end as Tendulkar scores his first century on home soil, hitting a six and 24 fours in his 165 as India win by an innings and 22 runs in Madras.

Next up are Sri Lanka and Tendulkar’s second innings 104 not out helps India to a 235-run victory in Colombo.

1994

Tendulkar returns home to face Sri Lanka again and it is a similar story as he collects 22 boundaries in a first innings score of 142 at Lucknow as India triumph by an innings and 119 runs.

The year comes to an end with a home series against West Indies and Tendulkar defies Courtney Walsh and co for almost seven hours to make 179 in Nagpur. The game ends in a draw.

1996

Tendulkar is in brilliant form on his second tour to England, marking the start of a three-match series with 122 at Edgbaston, but he is unable to prevent the home side from winning by eight wickets.

The third match at Nottingham sees Tendulkar score 177, including 26 fours, and he shares a stand of 255 with Sourav Ganguly. The match, however, ends in a draw.

1997

India are beaten 2-0 in South Africa at the start of the year, but Tendulkar marks the second Test in Cape Town with a score of 169, which features 26 boundaries.

Tendulkar makes Sri Lanka suffer again by making 143 in an Indian total of 537 for eight declared in Colombo, but the game is drawn.

The second Test follows a similar pattern with Tendulkar this time batting for six and a half hours to reach 139.

There is no let-up for the Sri Lankans as they travel to India only to suffer another Tendulkar onslaught - 148 including three sixes and 20 fours in Bombay, but they escape with a draw.

1998
Australia visit India in early 1998 and Tendulkar greets Mark Taylor’s men by hitting fours sixes and 14 fours in his 155 not out at Madras as India win by 179 runs.

He does even better in the third Test at Bangalore with an innings of 177, but Australia prevent a clean sweep with an eight wicket win.

Tendulkar makes his first Test hundred against New Zealand, but his 113 cannot save India from a four-wicket defeat.

Arch-rivals Pakistan visit India and Tendulkar helps himself to 136 in Madras, only for India to lose an exciting match by 12 runs.

1999

Once again Tendulkar feasts on Sri Lanka’s bowling, making 124 not out in the drawn Test in Colombo.

India return home to play New Zealand and Tendulkar scores 126 not out in the drawn Test at Chandigarh.

A landmark innings in the third Test sees Tendulkar make 217, his first Test double century, in a 344-ball innings which includes 29 boundaries.

India are outplayed in Australia at the end of the year, but Tendulkar shows his class by scoring 116 in the second Test at Melbourne. The home side win the game, however, by 180 runs.

2000

Tendulkar plays the supporting role to Rahul Dravid with 122 as India beat Zimbabwe by seven wickets in Delhi. Dravid scores 200 not out.

It is Tendulkar’s turn to double up in Nagpur as his 201 not out off 281 balls leads India to 609 for six declared, but the match is drawn.

2001
India complete a magnificent 2-1 triumph over Australia by winning the final Test by two wickets in Madras, with Tendulkar contributing 126 in India’s first innings.

Partnered by protege Virender Sehwag, Tendulkar hammers 155 off 184 balls against South Africa in Bloemfontein, but the home side win by nine wickets.

England try to keep Tendulkar in check, but it does not work at Ahmedabad, where he scores 103 in a drawn Test.

2002

Zimbabwe suffer in Nagpur as Tendulkar hits 23 fours in his 176 and India go on to win by an innings and 101 runs.

Tendulkar hits his 29th century to equal Bradman, with West Indies the team to suffer. He reaches 113 not out at the end of the first day in the second Test.

He then surpasses The Don’s record with a sublime 193 in the third Test against England at Headingley.

Tendulkar is now only four centuries short of Sunil Gavaskar’s record.

Sachin Tendulkar’s Trivia

Sachin Tendulkar was the first batsman to have been declared run out by a third umpire1992 against South Africa in South Africa.

He was the first overseas cricketer to play for Yorkshire CCC in 1993.

Shane Warne famously remarked after the Australian tour of India, and then Sharjah in 1998, that his nightmares are full of “Sachin coming, dancing down the track and lofting me over for yet another six !”

He once asked his care taker Laxmi bai to prepare a dish of frogs considered to be an yuck dish in India as a child.

Tendulkar has been seen taking his Ferrari 360 Modena for late-night drives in Mumbai. (Gifted by Fiat through Michael Schumacher, the car became notorious when Tendulkar was given customs exemption; Fiat paid the dues to end the controversy.)

During India’s tour to Australia, he was declared out when he ducked to coin the term “shoulder before wicket”