Take a bow, Sachin Tendulkar

It was like the World-cup was tailor-made for Sachin to win. He was the second highest scorer in the tournament, finishing with 482 runs, and he won it at the Wankhede Stadium, his home. It was the heavens showering praise on him that day, as Sachin was taken around the Stadium on a procession by his teammates.

Coming to his records, words are not enough to describe them. Every one of his records is a mammoth one and reaching anywhere near it is a herculean task. However, the greatest of all his records is his 100 centuries. There is nothing quite spectacular like that. I can safely say that his records will not be broken in the near future.

Above all this, there was one thing that separated Sachin from the rest. It was his passion, his love for the game the made him what he is today. He just loved to hold the bat and whack the ball. He loved to step on to the field. Every time he wore the shirt, he did it with passion and pride.

After all these impossible achievements, as a human being, Sachin still remains most humble. A modest person, he never disgraced or discouraged anyone. Never has he ever been even remotely connected to any fixing or cheating allegations. Even to this day, he attributes all of his success to his coach, Ramakant Achrekar.

Sachin will go down as the greatest player ever to have walked on to a cricket pitch, and it would be safe to say that no one will ever dispute that claim. His ever-smiling face, picture-perfect straight drive with no follow-through, the stunning cover drive, the square-leg scoop are few of the things that will be missed when this Maestro walks into the dusk on November 18^th.

It is not hard to replace Sachin Tendulkar, it is impossible. His partnership and understanding with ‘Babu Moshai’ will always be missed, and the millions whom he inspired will be shedding tears when he descends into a life without Cricket. He may have retired from Cricket, but he will always remain in our hearts.

Take a bow, Sachin Tendulkar