By Ali Bacher
It was on this day in 1989 that a 16 year old boy made his Test debut against Pakistan in Karachi. Since then, Sachin Tendulkar has been acclaimed as the most complete batsman of his age and has been elevated to the status of demi-god in his cricket-crazy country.
He has scored more Test runs (12 773 at 54.58) and centuries (42), and more one-day runs (17 178 at 44.50) and hundreds (45) than any other batsman.
On Monday he goes into his 160th Test match - surpassed only by former Australian captain Steve Waugh's 168 - when India start their match against Sri Lanka in Ahmedabad. He still has a remarkable hunger for the game.
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'He still has a remarkable hunger for the game' Perhaps the best way to explain the popularity of cricket in India is to compare it with the status of soccer in Brazil. The difference is that in India the people are more passionate about cricket than the Brazilians are about soccer. When India win, the mood hits a remarkable high; when they lose, the nation is cast into depression.
Against that background, consider that Tendulkar is the most popular cricketer in India. He is not just popular - he is positively worshipped.
In spite of this iconic adulation, he remains the most humble of men. He is respectful of his teammates, his opponents, the game's officials, the media and the man in the street. As the manager of the South African team in India in 1991, I ventured into the Indian dressing room at Calcutta to congratulate Sachin on his excellent innings. He seemed quite taken aback, even a little puzzled, that I should be doing so.
In all these years, I cannot recall a single occasion in which he has been involved in any sort of controversy. With all the major sporting codes, cricket has its share of controversies, disagreements and unpleasantness.
But Sachin has never featured in them.
'He is not just popular - he is positively worshipped'
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