Sachin Tendulkar : The Genius

There have been many accolades given to Sachin Tendulkar, but none can match the one bestowed upon him by the great Sir Donald Bradman.

Recognized by the Don as his modern incarnation, he is a player of a lifetime, a pure genius. More than 23,000 international runs, composed with the aid of more than 70 centuries - a record for both Tests and ODIs - is a testament of the physical and mental skill the master blaster possesses.

Tendulkar made his international debut at a mere 16, when he was called upon to play against Pakistan in Pakistan following a series of unbelievable domestic performances, which just couldn't put him out of the spotlight. The most glaring of those was an exceptional 664-run partnership with schoolmate, close friend, and future international teammate, Vinod Kambli in a Harris Shield game.

Despite not succeeding to expected levels on that tour of Pakistan against the fiery pace of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, along with the following tour of New Zealand, Tendulkar showed enough promise that it was only a matter of time before he unleashed his unmatched talents. He did exactly so by scoring a match-saving century against England in the next series, displaying his exceptional mental prowess for his age.

He then topped it off with some remarkable batting performances in Australia the next season, including a couple of memorable centuries.

Tendulkar's ODI career didn't get off to the most perfect of starts, with hardly any scores of noting in his first 20 to 30 matches. Despite a few handy performances in the 1992 World Cup in Australia, a couple of which earned him Man of the Match awards, it wasn't until the series against New Zealand in New Zealand in 1993/94, when he was drafted up the order to open, that the real monster in him was released. A 49-ball 82 in the second match of that series stands truly as the defining moment in his rise as probably the best opener in the shorter version of the game.

Even since then, the name of Tendulkar itself causes terror to the opening bowlers, as well as others alike. Fans all around the world have come to recognize the wonder that is his batting. His 'specialties' include the straight drive (a shot that no one comes close to mastering as well as he has done), the cover drive, the square cut, the pull shot over midwicket/square leg, the delicate leg glance, the late cut, the lofted shots over mid-on and mid-off, not to mention the improvisations he keeps coming up with time and again like an effective reverse sweep or the ever-so-productive paddle sweep against the spinners.

Some of his shots are hit with so much power that the ball simply rockets to the fence as if he was trying to dismiss the ball from his presence. On the other hand, some of his shots are neatly timed and placed well. His timing can be quite exquisite and it is this blend of timing and raw power which makes him one among the all-time best batsmen.Tendulkar's best performances have come against Australia, which shows that he doesn't shy away from the main event. There isn't a batsman in the entire world that is able to say that he has countered Shane Warne more times than anyone can dream of than Tendulkar. In fact, one of the most memorable moments in Indian cricket during the 1990s came when his back-to-back centuries in Sharjah not only rescued the country from a position where a place in the finals seemed almost impossible, but actually took them to the trophy win against a full-strength Aussie attack.

His mental strength has been displayed over and over again, whether it be rescuing the team over and over again, or coming out to bat after his father's death to score a century in the 1999 World Cup. His 136 against Pakistan at Chennai in 1998/99 which almost took India to a compelling win, still stands as one of the most mentally tough innings or all-times, despite it being a heart-breaking one.

Tendulkar, for a large part in his career, has stayed as fit as they come. His only major time off in the 1990s came as a result of a serious back injury following the 1998/99 Pakistan series which took him months to recover from. Lately though, a niggling tennis elbow condition has kept him out for a fair while. Tendulkar's impression has always been that of an aggressive batsman, which has probably resulted in much criticism that has come against him in the last two years because of a distinct change in his batting style due to the said injury.

Gone has the flamboyance that bowlers used to be scared about, and it has been replaced by a calm composure, which despite providing valuable results, hasn't shown the same excitement as the Tendulkar of old times. In fact, the lowest ebb of his career just came recently against England, when he was booed off the Wankhede stadium after being dismissed cheaply.

Tendulkar's only other really bleak phase apart from the current one came when he was the captain of the national side, which proved to be one of the worst period of Indian cricket in the 90s, although it had little impact on his batting.

The fact that Tendulkar's batting is so masterful is probably the reason his bowling and fielding skills are hardly talked about. He was one of the very few players who could be called a good fielder during the pre-Kaif/Yuvraj times and his bowling has earned him close to 200 international wickets, yet goes unnoticed.

In fact, there isn't as cunning or guile a leg-spinner in India, apart from Anil Kumble. The variations that he comes up with his bowling, considering the minimalist time he gives to it in practice, are something that warrants him to be a regular bowler.

It isn't possible to describe the man and his achievements in a single page such is the awe at the personality, the talent, the never-ending perseverance, the modesty and more that Tendulkar possesses. There's one more accolade he has been given which comes close to The Don's, which should be a perfect sign-off for this profile - the following quote by Raj Singh Dungarpur, who has been associated with Indian cricket for decades: "Twenty per cent of all Indians don't get two square meals a day. But when Tendulkar scores a century, they don't want the second meal."