'Sachin is superman of cricket' By Ajit Wadekar

Former India skipper Ajit Wadekar speaks about the child he has seen grow into the world's best player.

To me Sachin Tendulkar is the superman of Indian cricket because I don’t think any sportsman in the world has lasted so successfully for so long (over two decades) and still has the hunger to succeed at the top level.

I should say Sachin is like my own child because I have seen him grow as a junior player representing Shivaji Park Gymkhana in Mumbai to donning the country colours and breaking records galore. When you look back at the rapid strides he has made, since his debut against Pakistan in 1989, one wonders whether he is a god-sent present to India.

To play day and night for two decades and still have the hunger to play a breath-taking knock like he did against the Aussies in Hyderabad, is no mean feat. His greediness for runs has only benefitted the team immensely but scoring most of his runs against the best team in the world (Australia), has also proved his class beyond doubt.

I remember in the middle 90s we were coasting to victory in a very important match against Pakistan and Tendulkar was well settled before he pulled a muscle and had to throw away his wicket literally as he tried to hit out unable to bear the pain.