born 1973
The God of Cricket — a 24-year love letter to one game.
Born: 24 April 1973, Mumbai | Known for: 100 centuries, 2011 World Cup, Bharat Ratna | Famous words: “People throw stones at you and you convert them into milestones.”
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar was born on 24 April 1973 in Mumbai. A mischievous kid, he was taken to coach Ramakant Achrekar at 11. The coach would place a one-rupee coin on the stumps — any bowler who dismissed Sachin won it; if no one could, Sachin kept it. He still treasures those 13 coins. At 14, he and friend Vinod Kambli put on a world-record 664-run partnership in a school match — bowlers cried; the scorers gave up.
Sachin debuted for India at 16, in 1989, against Pakistan's fearsome pace attack. Hit on the nose by a bouncer, blood streaming, he waved off help with the words that became legend: 'Main khelega' (I will play) — and hit the next ball for four. India had found its warrior.
Over 24 years, Sachin built numbers that read like fiction: 100 international centuries, 34,357 international runs, 200 Test matches, the first man to score a double century in ODIs — all records no one has touched. When he batted, offices emptied and streets fell silent; when he got out, televisions switched off across a billion people. Australian great Matthew Hayden wrote: 'I have seen God. He bats at No. 4 for India.'
His dream came true in 2011 — lifting the World Cup at home in Mumbai, carried on his teammates' shoulders; Virat Kohli said, 'He has carried Indian cricket for 21 years; it was time we carried him.' He retired in 2013 with a farewell speech that made a stadium weep, and became the youngest person and first sportsperson ever awarded the Bharat Ratna. Through decades of deafening fame — not one scandal, not one act of arrogance.
Photo: Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons