Rebooting sport: From the vault

1. Tendulkar is caught stealing mangoes as a kid during his summer vacations and is sent off to Ramakant Achrekar’s cricket school to help channelise his energy.
2. Tendulkar collects 13 coins from coach Ramakant Achrekar during his training period at Shivaji Park, one for each day he spent without getting out in the nets.
3. Dilip Vengsarkar presents Tendulkar with a Gunn & Moore bat after the latter is selected for Mumbai’s U-15 side.
4. Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly come together during a national camp in Indore, with a 14-year-old Dada on the receiving end of a Sachin prank that leaves his room flooded with water, sending his suitcases floating!
5. Five years before playing his first World Cup in 1992, Tendulkar features as a ballboy during the 1987 edition co-hosted by India and Pakistan.
6. Tendulkar signs up at Chennai’s MRF Pace Academy in 1987 as a fast bowler, but is rejected by Australia’s Dennis Lillee.
7. In a practice match against India in 1988, Tendulkar comes on as a substitute fielder for Imran Khan’s Pakistan team.
8. Tendulkar visits the Madame Tussauds museum in London in 1988, where he is commemorated with his own statue 21 years later.
9. On his first-class cricket debut for Mumbai against Gujarat in December 1988, Tendulkar registers an unbeaten century, wearing a set of batting pads gifted to him by Sunil Gavaskar.
10. At the tender age of 16, Tendulkar signs his first commercial, endorsing Band-Aid.
11. Tendulkar kick-starts his ODI career in disastrous fashion with two ducks in his first two matches.
12. On returning from India’s tour of England in 1990, Tendulkar meets his future wife Anjali Mehta for the first time at the Mumbai airport.
13. Tendulkar is chosen as the first overseas player to represent Yorkshire county in 1992.
14. In 1992, Tendulkar becomes the first cricketer to be given out by the third umpire in a run-out referral.
15. February 1993 sees Tendulkar bring up his first international 100 on Indian soil, versus England in Chennai.
16. Tendulkar buys his first luxury car in 1993, a second-hand BMW.
17. Five years after his ODI debut, Tendulkar scores his first 50-over century in his 79th match, against Australia in Colombo.
18. Tendulkar puts on a disguise to watch the film Roja in theatres, but his plan comes apart after his glasses fall off!
19. Following an indulgent honeymoon in 1995, Tendulkar goes on a rigorous diet of chickpeas and juice to shed 10 kilos in a mere 20 days!
20. In October 1995, Tendulkar becomes the world’s richest cricketer after signing a five-year contract with WorldTel worth Rs 31.5 crore.
21. Tendulkar is one of five recipients of Wisden’s Cricketer of the Year for 1997.
22. Tendulkar meets Don Bradman in 1998, fondly recalling the Australian great’s company as filled with “wit, warmth, and wisdom”.
23. Tendulkar rattles Australia with his best ever bowling performance, picking up five wickets for just 32 runs in a match-winning display in Kochi in 1998.
24. Back-to-back 100s for Tendulkar at Sharjah against Zimbabwe in 1998, less than seven months on from a more memorable pair of tons to overpower Australia on the same ground.
25. Maharashtra’s highest civilian distinction — the Maharashtra Bhushan — is offered to Tendulkar in 2001.
26. Tendulkar makes his Bollywood debut with a special appearance in the 2003 film Stumped.
27. India lose the 2003 ICC World Cup final to Australia, but Tendulkar emerges as the tournament’s leading run-scorer, without a single net session during the competition!
28. Worried about splitting his palm during a surgery in 2003 in America, Tendulkar wakes up during his operation (despite being on anesthetics) to double-check his palm!
29. Controversy erupts in 2003 as Tendulkar receives a tax exemption in excess of Rs 1 crore after importing a Ferrari-360 Modena, gifted to him by FIAT.
30. Tendulkar dines at the same seat of the same restaurant on the same menu for three straight evenings in Sydney during his innings of 241 in 2004.
31. Rahul Dravid, as stand-in captain, risks Tendulkar’s ire by declaring India’s innings against Pakistan at Multan with Sachin six runs shy of a double 100.
32. Just 10 runs and a wicket for Tendulkar in his one and only T20 international, against South Africa in 2006.
33. After a lean spell in Test cricket for more than 15 months, Tendulkar bags his first ton in that time with a century against Bangladesh in May 2007.
34. After India crash out of the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean, Tendulkar ponders retirement, but is dissuaded by his brother Ajit, who urges him to dream of winning the World Cup four years later in his home town of Mumbai.
35. Tendulkar reaches his first and only ODI 100 in Australia, guiding India to victory in a crunch final at the SCG in 2008.
36. Tendulkar makes IPL history by pocketing four catches in a single game to help Mumbai Indians trounce the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2008.
37. Tendulkar is voted as one of the world’s 100 most influential people as part of The 2010 Time 100.
38. In 2010, Tendulkar claims his first ICC Award, the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for Cricketer of the Year.
39. Tendulkar wins his final Man of the Series award after amassing more than 400 runs during the 2010 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
40. The World Cup witnesses its final 100 from Tendulkar, as Sachin storms past three figures against South Africa in 2011.
41. After being dismissed in the 2011 World Cup final, Tendulkar’s superstitions prevent Virender Sehwag and him from watching the action any further, as both wait it out on the massage table till M.S. Dhoni hits the winning runs.
42. The Australian government confers upon Tendulkar the Order of Australia in 2012.
43. In 2013, Tendulkar is named as the only Indian in the all-time Test XI announced to mark the 150th anniversary of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack.
44. Playing for Mumbai Indians against Trinidad and Tobago in the 2013 Champions League T20, Tendulkar becomes the first man to record 50,000 runs in recognised cricket.
45. The Indian Postal Service releases a stamp of Tendulkar in 2013, making him the second individual — after Mother Teresa — to receive such an honour in their lifetime.
46. Virat Kohli reminds Tendulkar to pay his homage to the 22 yards at the end of his international career, after retirement briefly overwhelms India’s most decorated cricketer.
47. In 2016, Tendulkar’s autobiography, Playing It My Way, enters the Limca Book of Records for most hardback pre-publication orders.

Sachin and his wife Anjali Mehta Sourced by the Telegraph

10 hidden gems

The Telegraph relives the Sachin specials that have not become entrenched in public memory but are just as masterful in hindsight:

Taking on Qadir: Unfazed by the gulf in experience, Tendulkar — on his debut tour of Pakistan in 1989 — takes apart his veteran adversary, wily leg-spinner Abdul Qadir, as part of an 18-ball 53 in a truncated exhibition match. The onslaught features a 28-run over off Qadir, with four sixes, three of which are consecutive.

First time opening: After several years of batting in the lower middle order, Sachin is promoted to the opening slot for the first time in ODIs against New Zealand at Auckland in 1994. Grabbing the opportunity with both hands, Tendulkar pummels the Kiwi attack, producing an electrifying 82 runs off just 49 balls.

Turning the tide: At his home ground of Mumbai in 1994, Tendulkar leads India from deep trouble at 11 for three against an imperious West Indian outfit to a comfortable second-innings lead and an eventual triumph, with a marvellous 85 in an exhibition of equanimity.

A classic cameo: On an atrocious pitch in Trinidad in 1997, Tendulkar tackles tough conditions and a fiery West Indian pace attack with characteristic vigour — pulling, cutting, and racing his way to a run-a-ball 44 — before being ruled out courtesy a poor umpiring decision.

Giving it back: Sledging and Sachin are hardly synonymous, but on this rare occasion in the ICC KnockOut Trophy in 2000, Tendulkar lets his mouth do the talking alongside his blade, belting Glenn McGrath all over the park in an explosive innings of 38, setting the tone for a crucial Indian win against Australia.

Cape Town in January 2011 is the site for Tendulkar’s 51st and final Test century Sourced by the Telegraph

Fabulous yet fruitless: Chasing 351 runs against Australia in Hyderabad, Tendulkar goes no-holds-barred in 2009, notching up a thunderous 175 to record his 45th ODI century, though India fall agonisingly short of victory by four runs.

The last test ton: Cape Town in January 2011 is the site for Tendulkar’s 51st and final Test century. Sachin stands tall on the back-foot and produces a masterclass of punching through the off side, helping India salvage a draw in the Match and the Series.

Solitary IPL 100: In April 2011, Tendulkar, representing the Mumbai Indians, takes the Gujarat Lions bowling to the cleaners to bring up his maiden IPL century at the Wankhede Stadium. Among the show-stopping strikes on display is a Dhoni-esque helicopter from the Master Blaster.

The Ranji farewell: Lahli is lit up in the fall of 2013 with a vintage Tendulkar innings — a match-winning 79 in his final Ranji Trophy match — that ensures a comfortable Mumbai win over Haryana.

The legend at Lord's: Stepping out to bat for the first time since international retirement, Tendulkar turns back the clock in July 2014 with a pulsating 44 on the hallowed turf at Lord’s, captaining his all-star team to glory in a bicentenary celebration game.