People often struggle to define Sachin Tendulkar with one single epithet. He is the ‘ God of Cricket ‘ ‘Little Master ‘, ‘Master Blaster ‘ and even the ‘ Bradman of the modern era’
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Biography:
Sachin Tendulkar was born on 24th April 1973 at Dadar, Mumbai, Maharashtra. He belongs to a Maharashtrian Rajapur Saraswat Brahmin family. His father Ramesh Tendulkar was a renowned Marathi novelist and poet. His mother, on the other hand, worked in the Insurance Industry. Sachin was introduced to Cricket at a very young age. Back in the year 1984, he met Ramakant Achrekar who was a famous cricket coach and a reputed club cricketer. Sachin impressed Ramakant with his cricketing skills and therefore, he advised him to admit to a nearby School ( Sharadashrm Vidyamandir close to the cricket academy at Shivaji Park, Dadar, Mumbai) so that he could practice cricket regularly.
From the very beginning, Sachin was the Selectors’ favorite, and hence on November 14, 1987, the selectors finalized his name in the team to represent Bombay in the Ranji Trophy. In the following year on December 11, Sachin debuted in first-class cricket. He played on behalf of Bombay against Gujrat at home ground and scored an unbeaten 100 in the match. Therefore, he became the youngest Indian to score a century on his debut in first-class cricket. The then captain of the Bombay cricket team Dilip Vengsarkar watched Sachin easily tackling India’s contemporary best fast bowler Kapil Dev in the Wankhede Stadium nets. Sachin was the only player to score a century on his debut in The Ranji, Irani, and Duleep Trophies.
In late 1989 Team India finalized their tour to Pakistan. Raj Singh Dungarpur selected young Sachin (16 years old) to become a part of the team. Though Sachin was hit on the nose by a bouncer bowled by Waqar Younis in the 4th and final Test at Sialkot, he managed to show his class as a batsman.
Career:
The world gradually started to witness the rise of Sachin as a world-class batsman. Just before the Cricket world of 1992, India toured Australia where Tendulkar scored an unbeaten 148 in the 3rd Test Match at Sydney, becoming the youngest batsman to score a century in Australia. The then Australian team was comprised of giant pace attackers such as Merv Hughes, Bruce Reid, and Craig McDermott but Tendulkar defeated the pace attack and scored 114 in the final Test Match at Perth.
It took 18 One Day Internationals to score his first century. On 19th September 1994, Tendulkar made his first International century against Australia in Sri Lanka at Colombo. Thereafter, he was unstoppable. His journey to become the God of Cricket began. He was the leading run-scorer at the 1996 World Cup, scoring two centuries.
In early 1998 Australian Team finalized their tour to India. The Test Series was memorable for both teams. The two cricketing legends Sachin and Shane Warne clashed. Sachin scored an unbeaten 204. On the other hand, Shane Warne conceded 111 runs in 16 overs resulting in Australia’s defeat. In April 1998 Tendulkar scored two consecutive centuries in a Triangular Cricket Tournament in Sharjah. These centuries are known as Tendulkar’s ‘Desert Storm Innings ‘.
God of Cricket:
Cricket and Tendulkar are synonymous. His feats in the battleground of Cricket continued to win the hearts of millions but the news of his father’s death in the middle of 1999’s Cricket World Cup shocked him. He flew back to India and attended the final rituals of his father. A committed Tendulkar returned back to the World Cup again and scored a century (140 not out off 101 balls) in the very next match against Kenya in Bristol.
In 2001 and 2002 he continued to perform well both with his bat and ball. In 2003’s World Cup Cricket Tendulkar single-handedly scored 673 runs helping the Indian team to reach the final. Though India was runner-up, Tendulkar was awarded ‘ The Man of the Tournament ‘.
In the years 2003 and 2004, the World witnessed Tendulkar’s perseverance as a Test Cricketer. He scored an unbeaten 241 from 436 balls putting India literally in an unbeatable position against Australia. Again in 2004, he scored an unbeaten 194 against Pakistan at Multan but unfortunately, his tennis elbow injury forced him to remain out of the cricket ground throughout the year. He only played two Test Series against Australia in the same year. Thereafter, on 10 December 2005 Tendulkar scored his 35th century against the Srilankans at Ferozshah Kotla. On February 6, 2006, he scored his 39th ODI hundred in a match against Pakistan. In the DLF cup that was held in Malaysia Sachin was the only Indian player to score an unbeaten 141. The West Indies Team won the rain-affected match following the DL method.
Finally, Sachin’s feats in the cricket grounds, his ability to turn the tide of the game in his country’s favor compelled his fans and followers to call him ‘ the God of Cricket’
Retirement:
In 2007 Greg Chappell criticized Team India’s preparation for the World Cup. In the world cup, the Indian team performed poorly. Sachin was pushed to bat lower down the order against Bangladesh and as result, he managed to score only 7 runs. But in the following Test series against Bangladesh, he regained his position as an opening batsman and was selected as the man of the series. Later, in the ‘Future Cup,’ he continued to perform well and scored 99 and 93 in the first two matches against South Africa. In 2008’s Border- Gavaskar Trophy Tendulkar retained his exceptional form and therefore became the leading run-scorer with 493 runs in 4 Tests. In 2011’s Cricket World Cup Tendulkar scored 482 runs at an average of 53.55 which included two centuries. India defeated Sri Lanka in the final.
On March 16, 2012, he scored his 100th ODI hundred at Mirpur against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup. He became the first person in the history of Cricket to touch the milestone.
On 23 December 2012 Tendulkar announced his retirement from ODI’s and on October 10, 2013, he announced his retirement from all the formats of Cricket after playing two Test Series against West Indies.
Personal Life:
Sachin Tendulkar Wife:
On May 24 1995 Sachin married Anjali. She is a doctor.
Sachin Tendulkar Daughter:
Sara Tendulkar is the name of Sachin’s daughter. She was born on 12th October 1997. She is 25 now. Sara completed her schooling at Dhirubhai International School and she is now pursuing her medical studies in London. There was a buzz that she was dating Shubhman Gill, an Indian International Cricketer but no one found any concrete evidence.
Sachin Tendulkar Son:
The name of Sachin’s son is Arjun Tendulkar. He was born on 24th September 1999. Like his father, he also started to manifest his interest in the game of cricket.
Additional Information:
Sachin Tendulkar Bat:
The bats that Tendulkar used throughout his career were manufactured according to his requirement. He used bats that were manufactured using 100% pure Kashmir Willow.
Sachin Tendulkar Net Worth:
Sachin is one of the richest cricketers in the world. He has a net worth estimated at around 819 crores (INR).
Sachin Tendulkar Movie:
On 26th May 2017 his biopic Sachin: A Billion Dream was released. The movie shows his struggles, ups and downs, and even his love life.
Sachin Tendulkar Tweets:
Like all the celebrities Sachin also uses social media to communicate with the public. He frequently tweets on different subjects. On January 15, 2022, he congratulated the Indian Army on the Indian Army Day.
Test & ODI Record:
| Competition | Test | ODI | Total Score/Average |
| Matches | 200 | 463 | 310 |
| Run Score | 15921 | 18426 | 25396 |
| Batting Average | 53.78 | 44.83 | 57.84 |
| Century | 51 | 49 | 81 |
| Half-Century | 68 | 96 | 116 |
| Top Score | 248* | 200* | 248* |
| Balls Bowled | 4240 | 8054 | 7605 |
| Wickets | 46 | 154 | 71 |
| Bowling average | 54.17 | 44.48 | 61.7 |
| 5 Wickets in innings | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 10 Wickets in match | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Best Bowling | 3/10 | 5/32 | 3/10 |
| Catches | 115 | 140 | 186 |