Sachin Tendulkar
Often referred to as The Little Master or The Master Blaster, is an Indian cricketer widely regarded as the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket.
You might pitch a ball on the off stump and think you have bowled a good ball and he walks across and hits it for two behind mid wicket. His bat looks so heavy but he just waves it around like it's a toothpick.
Technically, you can't fault Sachin. Seam or spin, fast or slow nothing is a problem.
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?'
Test cricket is bloody hard work, especially when you've got Sachin batting with what looks like a three-metre-wide bat.
I am very privileged to have played with him and seen most of the runs that he has scored. I am also extremely happy to have shared the same dressing room... He is a very reserved person and generally keeps to himself. He is very determined, committed and doesn't show too many emotions. He just goes about doing his job.
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 delevery 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. Atleast you won't regret if he hits you for boundaries.
I have seen God, he bats at no. 4 for India.
"The way he has taken on the role of India's greatest sporting ambassador... He has, among other things, inspired a generation and more to play cricket."
He is the world no.1 in my list simply because of the way he has performed at the highest level for such a long time. In that journey, I also take into account the number of years he's been on the road, records by his name. In fact, statistically too, he has performed much more than any other cricketer. He is a very quiet person, doesn't interact much, but I have always heard he is a great team man. He has always shown respect to his opponents, an important yardstick for a great cricketer.
“The last time I watched Sachin was last week when he was on his way to a spectacular 175 and once again I felt that I was watching a player who comes but once in a century. It can be said that he is the Bradman of our times and I do feel privileged to have played a lot of cricket against him,”
He is one of the rare few who dont boast after scoring a 241, rather comes back to pavilion just to see the replay of his dismissal and rectify it in future.