10 reasons why the cricket world will miss Sachin Tendulkar

5. The Lone Ranger – battling on single handedly

More often than not, the veteran batsman has waged a lone fight for his team on cricket’s battle grounds.

It began with his maiden Test century against England at Old Trafford in 1990, where he had less support before Manoj Prabhakar’s arrival at the crease; his sublime innings saved the match for India.

The Chepauk Test in 1999 also remains a witness to his single-minded focus in winning games for his side, despite the pain of a chronically troublesome back.

On the 2000 tour to Australia, he was the only one to shine during a nightmarish period in his captaincy; at Melbourne, his century and half-century in both innings failed to prevent an Indian defeat.

But each time he scores a century in the final of a tournament, India has gone on to win the match handsomely. His blitzkrieg against Zimbabwe in the final of the Coca Cola Trophy in 1998 led his side to a comprehensive ten-wicket win. Henry Olonga, who had dismissed him in the previous game with a short delivery, was given a crash course in batting as the master simply tore him apart.

It was the arrival of young turks Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Virender Sehwag and MS Dhoni that lifted the pressure of getting tall scores from Tendulkar’s shoulders. But for the better part of his 24-year journey, it was the Maestro’s immense talent that India thrived on.