1. Sachin Tendulkar the greatest cricketer of the 21 st century It is very difficult for Australia and England To accept it gracefully Keep speakers on As on 20 th Dec2010
2. There have been great cricketers and there had been good cricketers, and then we have Tendulkar. Incomparable in almost every manner to his peers, the little manâs only plausible comparison could have been with the Don himself, less than a decade ago when Sir Donald Bradman told to the world that the Indianâs batting reminded him of himself, Tendulkar entered rarefied territory. After his record 50th hundred in tests, there can be no dispute over his status as the greatest ever.
3. â Sachin is a genius, I am a mortalâ ---Brain Lara West Indian batting great salutes
4. He has been in form longer than some of the guys have been alive. ----Daniel Vettori
5. I have joked before that there is a good chance that I might retire before Tendulkar. M.S.Dhoni
6. I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing us to breathe the same air as you do. --- Shah Rukh Khan
7. Why did you get out to such a silly shot? Anjali Tendulkar
8. With Sachin Tendulkar and Brain Lara it was better to be friends and make them smile rather than wind them upâŠ.. Shane Warne
9. The archives recall not one single incriminating incident, not one drunken escapade, not one reported affair, not one spat with a teammate or reporter--- is he human? Michael Atherton
10. To me , he will not just remember as a great player and lovely human being, but as somebody who tried to learn Bengali for the last14 years but never managed to do so.--- Sourav Ganguly
11. Sachin was so focused. He never looked like getting out. He was betting with single-minded devotion. It was truly remarkable. It was a lesson.--- Martina Navratilova
12. He has defined cricket in his fabulous, impeccable manner. He is to batting what Shane Warne is to bowling. --- Richie Benaud
14. Named by his father after legendry music director Sachin Dev Burman
15. Was a naughty kid. In his own words, âI was extremely naughty. Very, very difficult to handle. I had a nanny who used to run after me virtually 24 hours a day.
16. Used to go fishing for tadpoles and guppy fish in the stream that ran through the compound of Sahitya Sahwas at Bandra East.
17. Was a bully in the school but was kind to cats and dogs. His first captain Sunil Harshe said he loved to pick a fight. Every time he was introduced to someone, his first thought was âwill I be able to beat him?â
18. Was a big fan of US tennis star John McEnore. He says: âI was the only one supporting John McEnore. Every one called me âmacâ because I styled myself on him.â
19. Fell from tree on Sunday evening when Dev Anand-starrer Guide was on TV. Brother (and mentor) Ajit packed him off to cricket coaching class as punishment.
20. His coach at Shardashram, Ramakant Achrekar used to offer a 1 rupee coin as a prize to anyone who dismissed him. If he remained not out, the coin belonged to Sachin. He has big bunch of those coins with him.
21. Wanted to be a tearing fast bowler. Even went MRF pace academy, but head coach Denis Lilee told him to focus on batting.
22. Refused to shoot for a soft drink ad of him smashing cricket balls with a fly swatter because âthat would make me greater than the game.â The ad was modified: he hit the balls with a stump.
23. Was a ball boy during the 1987 world cup semi-final between India and England at Wankhede.
34. Bats with his right hand. Eats and autographs with his left hand.
35. A prankster, he once put a hose pipe into Saurav Gangulyâs room and turned the tap on. Ganguly awoke to find his gear floating.
36. A fast car fiend; likes to tear down Mumbaiâs road at 4 in the morning.
37. Tendulkar had feared a tennis elbow would end his career prematurely in 2004. so disturbed was he at the prospect thatâ âI have gone out for drives alone at 3am. I used to ask my wife Anjali, why should this happen to me?â
38. Proudest moment: Sachin says it was the first time he wore the India cap.
50. â Sachinâs father Dr Ramesh Tendulkar died at his Bandra home in May 1999, when the maestro was in England playing in the world cup series. Former Indian batsman Anshuman Gaekwad, who was the team coach and who look after the call from Sachinâs brother Ajit, recalls âI did not have the heart to tell Sachin, so I told his wife Anjaliand the left the task to her. Sachin, Anjali and their daughter Sara took the first flight the next morning, the day of the match with Zimbabwe. Neither I nor the board had the heart to ask him when he would return. But Sachinâs mother Rajni told him to return and play for the nation. He came back to score century against Kenya.
51. In his long innings, he has swatted away comparisons, opponents, and criticisms while becoming larger than life with his phenomenal achievements.