India's cricketing hero returns to his roots in Pakistan by AFP

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Player:	SR Tendulkar
Event:	India in Pakistan 2005/06

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DateLine: 8th January 2006

 

Sachin Tendulkar plays possibly his last Test series on Pakistani soil this week, leading India's challenge in the country where his remarkable career began 16 years ago.

 

When Tendulkar made his debut in November 1989, the world was not yet connected to the Internet, the Soviet Union was still intact, George Bush's father was the US president and golf prodigy Michelle Wie was a month old.

 

Now at 32, Tendulkar has been in the game longer than any contemporary cricketer with a world-record 35 Test and 38 one-day centuries to his credit and has more than 10,000 runs in both forms of the game.

 

He is not expected to quit for a few more years despite a spate of injuries in recent times, but there is no certainty he will still be playing at 37 when India tour Pakistan again in 2010.

 

"We must enjoy his cricket as long as it lasts, because there may never be another like him again," legendary Indian all-rounder Kapil Dev told AFP.

 

Tendulkar's wicket will be treasured the most by Shoaib Akhtar and company when the first Test opens at the Gaddafi stadium here on Friday, followed by the second Test in Faisalabad and the third in Karachi.

 

"A series between India and Pakistan is always special because it is followed so closely by fans on both sides," said Tendulkar. "The interest and hype is amazing."

 

Tendulkar has come a long way since he took guard as a 16-year-old against the fiery pace attack of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis in the Karachi Test.

 

Having been bowled by fellow-debutant Younis for 15 in the first innings and not given a chance to bat a second time in the drawn Test, Tendulkar feared he may never play Test cricket again.

 

Not only did Tendulkar continue playing, but he also emerged as one of the finest batsmen to grace the game and was regarded by the great Don Bradman as his modern reincarnation.

 

Statistics reveal his genius with the bat but a career-span of more than 16 years amidst the pressure of living up to the expectations of a billion cricket-crazy fans in India tells the story of his dedication to the game.

 

"Pressure will always be there when you play for the country and millions expect you to do well," Tendulkar said in a recent interview.

 

"I am still trying to deal with these pressures, but I leave this pressure behind once I step onto the field.

 

"Cricket is all about handling pressure and I have lived with it all through my career. Why worry and increase the pressure. I always look to try and control these things."

 

Asked what made him proud, Tendulkar was quick to reply "my discipline."

 

Tendulkar has had an unblemished career. No one pointed a finger at him during the match-fixing scandal which rocked cricket in 2000. He is admired and respected by team-mates and rivals alike.

 

"Cricketers like Sachin come once in a lifetime and I am privileged he played in my time," said Pakistan legend Wasim Akram.

 

Tendulkar's devotion to the game can be gauged by an incident which took place in a Melbourne hotel in 2003 when a woman complained of someone trying to drill into her room from the floor above.

 

Investigations by the hotel staff revealed that the thuds the woman heard came from a bat hitting the floor as Tendulkar practised his shots in the wee hours of the morning.

 

"You are good only when you score," said Tendulkar. "It is very important to be determined. To me that is perfection."

 

Asked if there was scope for improving his batting, Tendulkar said: "You can't improve after a certain point.

 

"It is like a cup full of tea. You can't add any more because it would then spill. But you can change the temperature to suit your need.

 

"As a human, as a player you are always changing. It is good to look in terms of improving but then all this can happen only to a certain point."

(Article: Copyright © 2006 AFP)