SPORT TENDULKAR 2

Brother Ajit's encouragement, mentor Ramakant Achrekar's
tutelage and his own dedication towards his craft shaped
Tendulkar's future and it was almost a matter of destiny that
he went on to become the most iconic cricketer of his
generation.
The 1989 international debut followed. A Waqar Younis
bouncer left him with a bleeding nose but Tendulkar did not
wince and the next two decades saw him punishing bowlers all
over the world on all kind of surfaces.
His first Test century came in England next year at Old
Trafford and rose in stature after the 1991-92 tour of
Australia, hitting sublime centuries on a Sydney turner and a
Perth minefield.
The rest is history. No existing batting record seemed
safe. Other than Brian Lara's Test match highest of 400 not
out and first class highest score of 501 not out, every
batting record became Tendulkar's.
A staggering 12,773 runs culled in 159 Tests at a robust
average of 54.58 with a mindboggling 42 centuries in it
confirmed Tendulkar's greatness in the longer version of the
game.
And the 436 ODIs he starred in, a whopping 17,178 runs
were gleaned at a healthy average of 44.50 with 45 centuries
in the process.
A perfect teamman, Tendulkar has limited his Twenty20
ambition confined to the Indian Premier League where he leads
Mumbai Indians, ruling himself out of national reckoning lest
it upsets the existing team equilibrium. More PTI