In Praise of ... Sachin Tendulkar

It came in the first ball after tea, often an auspicious moment. For it was then that Sachin Tendulkar became Test cricket's leading run-scorer, exceeding the 11,953 runs made by Brian Lara. The first day of India's second Test with Australia came briefly to a standstill as fireworks went up, the crowd rose in standing ovation and the Australian team came to congratulate him. But the man himself only briefly looked up to the heavens. Tendulkar's greatness has been much foretold, not least by those whose standing in the game he now challenges. Lara said of him: "You know genius when you see it. And let me tell you, Sachin is pure genius." Cricket's greatest ever batsman, Sir Donald Bradman, had the same reaction. Watching him bat in a 1996 World Cup match on television, the Australian summoned his wife into the living room and asked her whom he reminded her of. The man on the screen reminded Bradman of himself. The little genius, as he is known, has his critics. He is known as an efficient rather than elegant run-scorer and has sometimes been accused of playing for the record book rather than his team. He has had less stellar playing moments as well. But he retains the enduring respect of bowlers round the world. Asked what went through his head when he scored a century, he replied that he allowed himself to be happy but not satisfied. Satisfaction, he said, was like engaging the handbrake and hoping the car will move forward. Happily for the game, Tendulkar is still racing on.