FOREWORD
RAMAKANT ACHREKAR

Over the last 20 years and more, so much has been written about Sachin Tendulkar, yet I wonder if any of us, he himself, I or all his countless fans and followers, had imagined how big he would make it. Though I must confess that even when Ajit Tendulkar, his brother, first brought the young Sachin to the nets, there was something so natural about his game that it seemed he was born only to play cricket.

A hundred hundreds in international cricket! It was and is still unthinkable. And I am glad I am still around to see it. It has indeed been my greatest joy to see him achieve this landmark.

As a player, Sachin was a natural, and there was really nothing major I needed to change. Countless stories have been written on how he grew and matured in cricket. But I feel his biggest asset was his ability to listen, imbibe and work on his game. He just needed to be told once.

This past year, I often got upset when he got out time and again for scores that should have been converted into hundreds. Sometimes he was unlucky but many other innings should have produced centuries.

During this time, it was saddening to hear people say that Sachin was past his prime and should retire from the game. I feel he still has a lot to offer and has some more years left in him.

His cricketing talent apart, Sachin’s family played a big role in his development – just as he now helps with his team members. Whether it is the Indian team, the Mumbai Ranji or any other team that he plays for, it is like a family to him. When he started out, his father Ramesh supported him and his brother Ajit was always around him and it has always been like that.

Most of his traits, whether on or of the field, are from that time and they have held him in good stead. Yes, he is talented way above all the rest, but he also ensures it stays that way with his hard work.

I feel a very crucial decision in his life and cricket came when his family decided to shift him to Sharadashram School. His father and brother and, of course, Sachin himself, agreed to move from the Indian Education Society’s New English School, close to his house in Bandra (East), to Sharadashram, which was known more for cricket. Sachin’s devotion to the game was such that even at a young age he was willing to travel every day for almost an hour between home and school to play cricket, and his family backed him all the way.

Yes, it feels great to see how he has reached the very top. He has a hundred hundreds, but for him, as it has always been for me, it is more important to see the team do well. That gives him more satisfaction. One only needed to see his smile when India won the World Cup to understand his joy. Few know how disappointed he feels when he scores a century but the team does not win.

Cricket has given a lot to Sachin, just as he has given a lot back to it. He does it in his own ways, through his cricketing performances, but also through his personal interactions and charities, which he doesn’t talk about. He turns to those close to him and to those he trusts for advice and suggestions and in the end, he does what his heart tells him to do. And it always seems right, just as the shot he selects to play each ball.

A century of centuries it is, but there is so much more that he will give to cricket and to all those around him in the years to come, which can never be measured in runs.

God bless Sachin. He has been a role model for more than one generation and has given all of us so much joy for almost a quarter of a century.