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Sachin Tendulkar

India's Idol

For a country in love with the sport of cricket, Sachin Tendulkar has become a national treasure, idolized by millions. Cricket players the world over consider him probably the most complete batsman the game has ever seen. He is so skillful that there is practically no shot he cannot play. Bowlers dread facing him, because he is unflappable and succumbs to none of their tricks. Ace Australian bowler Shane Warne once said Tendulkar gave him nightmares.

The 5'5" boyish star is mobbed by fans wherever he goes in India, except for his old neighborhood in Mumbai, where he still plays cricket with friends and is treated like a normal person. Every televised game he plays becomes a national event, and the details of his life are a national obsession. He is accustomed to the fuss but remains humble, in spite of the fact that he is the world's wealthiest cricketer and appears in about one-fourth of all Indian television commercials, so prolific are his endorsements.

Tendulkar is the first Indian to achieve such heights in both sports and media stardom. Over his career, he has helped to bring Indian cricket from a little-televised sport to a major national pastime. His talent and skill place him in the world annals of cricket, with the best of players from any country. Yet, he humbly said, in 1999, "I've never thought of myself as the best batsman in the world. My ambition was to be considered one of the best, and to stay there."

Chronology

1973	Born April 24 in Bombay (now Mumbai), India
1975	At age 2 1/2, begins hitting ball with a broomstick in his backyard
1983	Watches World Cup cricket match on television and becomes seriously interested in the game
1986	Scores his first century (100 runs) in his school, at age 13
1987	Is invited by captain of Indian team to a net session with the team
1988	With friend Vinod Kambli, sets world record of 664 runs for Shardashram School at inter-school tournament; at age 15, scores 100no (not out) in his first-class debut for Bombay team
1989	Scores 103no at one-day debut for Bombay team
1989-90	At age 16, is selected to play for India against Pakistan, making his international debut in One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and Test matches. On a tour of New Zealand, scores 88, just short of being the youngest century-maker in a test match
1990	Tours England and scores 119 in a match, making him the second-youngest test century-maker
1995	Signs first contract with WorldTel, for five-year commercial endorsements and marketing deal that will make him the world's richest cricket player
1996	Is appointed captain of Indian team—will serve until early 1998
1997	Daughter, Sarah, is born to Tendulkar and wife, Anjali, in October
1998	Makes 155 runs against Australia in Madras (now Chennai), India; meets 90-year-old Australian cricket master Sir Donald Bradman
1999	Begins having back pain in January—doctors later determine scar tissue in his lower vertebrae had become inflamed, but problem can be quickly corrected; bats in India's first World Cup match, against South Africa; flies home from match in England when father dies of cardiac arrest in mid-May; is again named captain of Indian team, in July; second child, a son, is born September 23
2001	Is invited to Bradman's 92nd birthday party, shortly before his death at 92; becomes first batsman to score 10,000 runs in one-day cricket, setting this record in third game of five-match series against Australia on March 31; re-signs with WorldTel; in November, is accused of tampering with cricket ball at match in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, and fined
2002	Pulls out of seven-match India-West Indies series with hamstring injuries; makes his thirtieth Test century, one more than Bradman; at end of November ranks third in international Test ratings, with 856 points and 58.46 average

Awards and Accomplishments

Has broken the record for maximum centuries in International cricket (One-Day Internationals + Test matches)
1992	Became youngest player to score 1,000 runs
1997	Voted Wisden Cricketer of the Year
1998	Received Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, India's highest honor for achievement in sports, for the year 1997
1999	Received Padma Shri Award, bestowed by India's president, the nation's highest civilian honor
2001	On March 31, became first batsman to score 10,000 runs in one-day cricket
2002	On September 5, became youngest cricket player to play 100th Test match

Additional topics

Famous Sports StarsCricketSachin Tendulkar Biography - Thirteen Coins, India's Idol, Chronology, Awards And Accomplishments, Further Information - CONTACT INFORMATION