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ShareWhen I looked up, I had two thoughts in my mind. First I thanked the almighty. Then I thanked my father. Definitely he would have been a proud man today."
I was playing a Times Shield game way back in 1988 when I heard that a young Sachin Tendulkar, then about 15, had made a triple hundred while playing for Sharadhashram against Anjuman-I-Islam. I was captaining India at that time and also Mumbai. I rushed to the Cricket Club of India where the Harris Shield match was being played, hoping to watch a young Tendulkar in full flow, but Sharadhashram had declared the innings by then.
I couldn't watch him bat that day, but decided to call him for an Indian team practice session. He played Kapil Dev, Chetan Sharma, Arshad Ayub and Mohinder Amarnath with a sense of ease that showed how special he was.
I decided that he must be included in the Mumbai team that season, but not everyone agreed with me.
However, I had my way and I was confident that Tendulkar would go from strength to strength. Incidentally, he made a century in his first match for Mumbai against Gujarat and as they say, from there on the rest is history.
I presented him with a Gunn & Moore bat and I remember how thrilled he was at that time. What is striking is that he still retains that same level of passion after all these years.
It was great to see Tendulkar go past Brian Lara's record for the most runs in Tests. It must have given him immense satisfaction as he broke the record against Australia, the No.1 team in the world and a side against which he has scored tons of runs at home and away.
What must be noted is that Tendulkar also holds the record for the most number of ODI runs, most number of ODI centuries and also highest number of Test centuries.
That he owns all four big batting records makes him truly a modern great. Tendulkar has enough in the tank to give his best for India, at least for another year if not for two more years.
That said, records are meant to be broken and I am sure that Tendulkar's record of most runs in Tests will also fall. But I don't think the world will see as befitting a record-holder as Tendulkar.
He is so humble and simple in spite of being a superstar and demi-god in India. Moreover, the one thing that hasn't changed over the past 20-odd years is his work ethic and his passion for the game.
I remember that when he first made it to the Ranji Trophy side he wanted to bat, field and bowl and was never tired of playing cricket. Even now his passion for the game remains the same and cricket is his life.
The only thing that has changed about Tendulkar over the past so many years is that now he is the record-holder for the most runs in Test cricket and earlier he wasn't. He has scored runs in all conditions and against all attacks.
To put it simply, Sachin Tendulkar is truly a modern great in every sense of the term.
