Sachin Tendulkar - The God of Cricket!

“Some loves a sport, some loves a team, but only a few loves an individual and, we call them as SACHINISTS.” – Sarav

In our Nation, SACHINSM is more than a religion, and we call us as SACHINISTS. Since the time, he picked up a bat and started playing cricket as a child, and ‘till the time he announced retirement from all the form of cricket (10–10-2013), he has been a reason for a billion people smile.

He is the God of cricket, he is the heartbeat of our Nation, he could stop time in India, and most of all he has defeated a language. When words like GREAT, MAJESTIC, AMAZING seem inadequate, then came GENIUS, MASTER, LITTLE MASTER, MASTER BLASTER, RUN MACHINE, LEGEND OF THE GAME and so on…still it was enough to describe Sachin, so people used phrases like CRICKET IS MY RELIGION AND SACHIN TENDULKAR IS MY GOD, GOD OF CRICKET, GREAT BATSMAN OF ALL TIMES, SUPER HUMAN FROM INDIA, and many more…still people were not happy so they created 10DULKAR, TONDULKAR, THISTIMEFOR10DULKAR and many more hashtag for a single selfless soul who will be remembered till eternity.

His words when he announced his retirement from ODI on December 23, 2012. "I have decided to retire from the One Day format of the game," he said in a statement. "I feel blessed to have fulfilled the dream of being part of a World Cup winning Indian team. The preparatory process to defend the World Cup in 2015 should begin early and in right earnest. I would like to wish the team all the very best for the future. I am eternally grateful to all my well-wishers for their unconditional support and love over the years."

He has played 463 ODIs, scored 18,426 runs and made 49 centuries, 18 times in nineties, and 96 half-centuries, each of them a world record. He is the first man to score 200 runs in an ODI format and he has many records under his belt.

He then announced his retirement from IPL on May 26, 2013. His words, “This is my last IPL," which he announced casually in a TV interview after winning the IPL cup. "This has been a fantastic season. I thought our third IPL season was the best before this. I think this is the right time to stop playing the IPL. I am 40. Got to accept it. This is the best point to say 'thank you very much' to all the supporters and well-wishers."

He has played 78 IPL matches, scored 2334 runs at an average of 34.83 and a strike rate of 119.81, which includes one century and 13 half-centuries.

And yesterday he, the only player to score 100 Hundreds in International Cricket, announced his retirement from all the form of cricket. His words, "All my life, I have had a dream of playing cricket for India. I have been living this dream every day for the last 24 years. It's hard for me to imagine a life without playing cricket because it's all I have ever done since I was 11 years old. It's been a huge honour to have represented my country and played all over the world. I look forward to playing my 200th Test Match on home soil, as I call it a day. I thank the BCCI for everything over the years and for permitting me to move on when my heart feels it's time! I thank my family for their patience and understanding. Most of all, I thank my fans and well-wishers who through their prayers and wishes have given me the strength to go out and perform at my best.”

So far, he has played 198 Test matches, scored 15837 runs and made 51 centuries, 10 times in nineties and 67 half-centuries, each of them a world record. He is the first Indian to score 50,000 runs in all forms of cricket. For the complete list of his records, I recommend his espncricinfo profile.

I am fascinated by Quotes. I take inspiration from them. And I have listed a few of the quotes said by Sachin below.

““Chase your dreams, dreams do come true. I had to wait for 22 years for India to win the World Cup."

““When people throw stones at you, you turn them into milestones.”

For the complete list of quotes said by Sachin, I recommend this link. He has not only conquered the hearts of a billion people but he has been praised by many people around the world. The best of all is from the Time Magazine:


““When Sachin Tendulkar travelled to Pakistan to face one of the finest bowling attacks ever assembled in cricket, Michael Schumacher was yet to race a F1 car, Lance Armstrong had never been to the Tour de France, Diego Maradona was still the captain of a world champion Argentina team, Pete Sampras had never won a Grand Slam. When Tendulkar embarked on a glorious career taming Imran and company, Roger Federer was a name unheard of; Lionel Messi was in his nappies, Usain Bolt was an unknown kid in the Jamaican backwaters. The Berlin Wall was still intact, USSR was one big, big country, Dr Manmohan Singh was yet to “open” the Nehruvian economy. It seems while Time was having his toll on every individual on the face of this planet, he excused one man. Time stands frozen in front of Sachin Tendulkar. We have had champions, we have had legends, but we have never had another Sachin Tendulkar and we never will”. Time Magazine.

The one from BBC is heart touching:

““Beneath the helmet, under that unruly curly hair, inside the cranium, there is something we don't know, something beyond scientific measure. Something that allows him to soar, to roam a territory of sport that, forget us, even those who are gifted enough to play alongside him cannot even fathom. When he goes out to bat, people switch on their TV sets and switch off their lives.”

One of the most innovative ones was a placard at the Sydney Cricket Ground:

““Commit all your crimes when Sachin is batting. They will go unnoticed because even the Lord is watching.”

A banner is Sharjah said:

““I Will See God When I Die But Till Then I Will See Sachin Tendulkar.” And a fantastic one by a SACHINIST, “GOD wanted to play cricket, so Sachin was born.”

An Aussie journalist Peter Roebuck, Aussie journalist wrote:

““On a train from Shimla to Delhi, there was a halt in one of the stations. The train stopped by for few minutes as usual. Sachin was nearing century, batting on 98. The passengers, railway officials, everyone on the train waited for Sachin to complete the century. This genius can stop time in India!”

Sir Donald Bradman said:

““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... high compactness, technique, stroke production... It all seemed to gel!”

Harsha Bhogle, cricket commentator and journalist once said that for every ball Sachin has two shots in his mind. And he gets out when he plays the third one. He also wrote many articles about him. One of my favorite from his pen:


““Think about the man himself. He is 37 years of age. He has been playing almost nonstop for 22 years. The way he was running and diving around the field last night would have put 22 year olds to shame. The way he played the best opening quickies in the world was breathtaking. He just keeps getting better, which is by the way humanly impossible. It’s not for nothing that people call him GOD. Still I don’t want to be in those shoes. We struggle in keeping our monotonous lives straight, lives which affect a limited number of people. Imagine what would be the magnitude of the inner struggle for him, pain both mental and physical, tears that have frozen with time, knees and ankles and every other joint in the body that is either bandaged or needs to be attended to every night, eyes that don’t sleep before a big game, bats that have scored 99 international tons and still see expectations from a billion people. And he just converts those expectations into reality. We watch in awe, feel privileged. Well I think it’s time that his team realizes that enough is enough. They have an obligation, not towards their country alone but towards Sachin. They need to win this one for him. Stay assured that he himself will still deliver and leave no stone unturned to make sure India wins this cup. This is not just a game, and he is not just a sportsman. It’s much more than this. Words fail here...”

Wasim Akram said in an interview:

““I don’t know what to bowl at him. I bowled an inswinger and he drove me through covers of the front foot. Then I bowled an outswinger and he again punched through covers of the backfoot. He is the toughest batsmen I've bowled to. He should live long and score lots of runs, but not against Pakistan.”

Waqar Younis said that Sachin is the best he has even seen and the best one from him:

““He can play that leg glance with a walking stick also.”

Virat Kohli words after India's World Cup triumph:

““Tendulkar has carried the burden of the nation for 21 years. It is time we carried him on our shoulders.”

Shane Warne when asked whom he thought the greatest batsman in the world was said:

““Sachin Tendulkar is, in my time, the best player without doubt - daylight second, Brian Lara third.”

Dennis Lillee said to Michael Kasprowicz, when the latter asked if Lillee could see any weaknesses:

““No Michael, as long as you walk off with your pride that's all you can do.”

Ravi Shastri:

““Sachin has been sent by God to play cricket and then go back.”

Sourav Ganguly:


““He is the greatest cricketer I have ever seen. I haven't seen Bradman, but he is as close to perfection as you can get. His insatiable hunger, combined with incredible talent, makes him a real genius. When people criticise him, all I point to them is the 100 international hundreds. Lara was a great and Ponting too was a brilliant, but Sachin, without any hesitation, is the greatest. He is the best I have ever seen and will perhaps ever see. No batsman in the next 50 years can score 100 international hundreds.”

Ross Taylor:

““I will forever remember Sachin as one of the greatest players of the game. In fact, it is something I look forward to telling my grandchildren in the future -- that I played against one of my childhood heroes. He has been one of the greatest cricketers ever and it has been a privilege playing with him and against him. It can surely rank as one of my cherished cricketing memories.”

Adam Hollioake:

““In an over I can bowl six different balls. But then Sachin looks at me with a sort of gentle arrogance down the pitch as if to say 'Can you bowl me another one?'”

Allan Donald:


““I was bowling to Sachin and he hit me for two fours in a row; one from point and the other in between point and gully. That was the last two balls of the over and the over after that we took a wicket and during the group meeting I told Jonty (Rhodes) to be alert and I know a way to pin Sachin. And I delivered the first ball of my next over and it was a fuller length delivery outside offstump. And I shouted catch. To my astonishment, the ball was hit to the cover boundary. Such was the brilliance of Sachin. His reflex time is the best I have ever seen. It's like 1/20th of a sec. To get his wicket, better not prepare. At least you won't regret if he hits you for boundaries.”

Andrew Symonds wrote on an Aussie t-shirt he autographed specially for Sachin:

““To Sachin, the man we all want to be.”

Andrew Flintoff:

““When you bowl at him you are not just trying to get him out, you are trying to impress him. I want him to walk off thinking 'that Flintoff, he's all right isn't he? I feel privileged to have played against him.”

Hansie Cronje:

““I had to remind Gary Kristen often that he was in the covers to field against Sachin not to applaud him.”

Hashim Amla as he boards a flight:

““Nothing bad can happen to us if we're on a plane in India with Sachin Tendulkar on it.”

Mark Taylor, during the test match in Chennai said:

““We did not lose to a team called India... we lost to a man called Sachin.”

Anil Kumble:

““I am fortunate that I've to bowl at him only in the nets.”

Arjun Ranatunga:

“"You get him out and half the battle is won."

Brian Lara:

““Sachin is a genius. I'm a mere mortal.”

Steve Waugh:

““We won with ten, but lost to one.”

Matthew Hayden:

““I have seen God; he bats at no. 4 for India.”



For the complete list, visit his page on WIKIQUOTE. Most of my readers know that I love numbers, so here you go.

SACHIN TENDULKAR

This post is a special dedication to my childhood hero Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar with whom my love for cricket started and with whom it will end. So with this post, I announce my retirement as a spectator of Cricket...“It is hard for me to imagine cricket without SRT playing because it's all I have ever done since I was ten. It's been a huge honor to have watched the God play all over the world. I look forward to watch his 200th Test Match Live, as I call it a day.”

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— Someone is Special (@FewMiles) October 11, 2013

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