On Sachin Tendulkar

Michael Jordan, Barry Bonds, Andre Agassi — lay off: here comes Sachin Tendulkar!

Scene 1

A 15-year-old boy, a cricketer representing India, faces the then-rookie leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed of Pakistan, in Pakistan. He swings up and the ball sails into the stands like a bullet. Mushtaq meets a similar fate the next over. Frustrated, his mentor — the great Abdul Qadir — comes on to bowl to this 5'3″ boy, and challenges him to hit him. The crowd waves signs. And Qadir gets the same treatment: sensational sixes all over the ground. Qadir bows to show respect to the 15-year-old.

Scene 2

The same boy gets his chance in Tests against the fast bowler Waqar Younis. Waqar pounds in a bouncer that hits the boy's nose. Everybody chill — the boy gets up, takes treatment from the physio, and with tape on his nose continues to make a fighting 52 to save India some respect.

Scene 3

A year later in England, the now-17-year-old scores a match-saving hundred to become the second-youngest player to score a Test century in world cricket. A genius is born.

Scene 4

Eight years later, the now-25-year-old — a mature father and recognized by all as a maturing batsman — is compared with Sir Don Bradman by the Australians, with W. G. Grace by the English, and is anointed the best batsman in the world.

Welcome, world — here comes Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.

Two words captured how much the world respects and how much bowlers fear his batting: when Sachin was selected to “give balance” to the team for the Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games, Australian skipper Steve Waugh's reaction was — “Bad news!” When Tendulkar plays for India, it's bad news for the opponents. And Sachin himself says: a win for India is all that matters.

My future is so bright that I have to wear sunglasses.