I have played cricket alongside Sachin Tendulkar right since the under-15 days. However, my first major memory of Sachin is of that mammoth 664-run partnership between him and Vinod Kambli for Sharasdashram Vidyamandir against my school St. Xavier’s.
The first time I met Sachin Tendulkar was during the 2002 Castrol Awards. Being a young player, it was quite unnerving when he came up to talk to me. I could see an aura around him, which made me conscious. However, what I noticed then, was that within no time he had the ability to make me comfortable in his presence. He would get down to converse at the most basic level. I’ve probably not followed his cricket as much, but his personality caught me in awe.
I first heard of Sachin Tendulkar when he made his maiden Test century in England in 1990. I heard he was 17, and I thought, "Wow! That's impressive at that age".
Sachin Tendulkar is an exemplary human and profession — a great ambassador to the sport of cricket right through his playing career. One of the striking aspects about him is that he has remained non-controversial right through his 24-year international career.
I first watched Sachin Tendulkar bat when he was brought to the nets of the Indian team as a 14-year-old. I was stunned to watch this teenager bat with such maturity; it was simply amazing. Later on, I faced him when Delhi played Bombay (as Mumbai was known then) in a Ranji Trophy game at the Wankhede during the 1988-89 season
Shitanshu Kotak, the Saurashtra batsman, recalls an interesting interaction with Sachin Tendulkar.
I first saw Sachin Tendulkar in Calcutta in 1991 when South Africa returned to the international cricket fold to play a historic One-Day International series in India. We felt he was so young [18] and thought we could sort him out early and quickly, and get him out at not too high a cost.
When Sachin Tendulkar plays his last and 200th Test match at the Wankhede Stadium next month, it will signal the end of an era in the history of the game. The retirement party would be something that the entire nation will participate in. I have been lucky enough to have shared some very special moments with the "God of cricket", which I am able to share them with you through this piece.
Like most people, one first heard of Sachin Tendulkar when he set that 664-run world record partnership with Vinod Kambli while playing for his school Shardashram Vidyamandir in the Inter-schools tournament.
I was two years and a few days old when Sachin Tendulkar first played for India. Our generation has grown up watching the legend from the time we knew what cricket was all about. It’s every Indian’s dream to shake hands with Sachin Sir or get his autograph or a photo clicked with him. He is one of the biggest icons the world has known. That’s why I consider it my good fortune that I have been very blessed to share the same dressing room with Sachin — be it for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy or Mumbai Indians.