Sachin 50th century: India hails Tendulkar

India on Monday celebrated the record-breaking feats of Sachin Tendulkar after the champion batsman scored an unprecedented 50th Test century.

"... shut your eyes, blank out the noise and whisper gently, '50 Test centuries'. Enjoy the way it slips off your tongue and ask yourself if you had ever considered it possible. I hadn't. A decade ago I wrote, 'Would I be considered a madman if I forced the word "fifty" from my lips!'" - Commentator and television presenter Harsha Bhogle savours the moment

 

President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh led the glowing tributes even as India lost the first cricket Test against South Africa at Centurion. Tendulkar remained unbeaten on 111,

But Indians back home appeared little concerned by the team's precarious position in the Test, confirming the widely held belief that defeat did not matter as long as Tendulkar scored a century.(Click here to watch the video)

The 37-year-old is the most prolific batsman in history with a record 46 one-day hundreds to go with his 50 Test centuries since he entered the international arena back in 1989.

"It is an amazing achievement to play for the country for over two decades and still continue to be the team's anchor," Prime Minister Singh said. "Sachin makes all of us so very proud."

The 50-ton feat was flashed on the front pages of leading newspapers and television channels rounded up past and present cricketers to speak on the batsman they compared to the legendary Don Bradman of Australia.

"Don of a new era" screamed the front page of the Times of India, which devoted three pages to the master's achievements under catchy headlines like "Batman Forever" and "Sachincredible".

"Legend, 50 times over” a newspaper wrote on its front page, while another headlined its story "Sachin cricket enters 51st century".

Tendulkar's consistency over a 21-year period earned high praise with former captain Sourav Ganguly calling him the "best batsman ever" ahead of the late Bradman, who retired in 1948 with a Test batting average of 99.94.

 

"For him, a Test match begins two days earlier, preparing for it. He wants to face the maximum number of balls at the nets. You will not see him play a loose shot at the nets." - Gary Kirsten, India's coach, praises Tendulkar's work ethic

 

"The only challenge he has is to beat himself every time he walks out there because he has done almost everything." - There's little left for Tendulkar to achieve, says Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara

"There wouldn't be one side in the world that wouldn't want Sachin as their first wicket, pointing their ship toward victory." - Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden presents the opposition's point of view

"I try to watch the matches in which he is playing because I have not seen anyone gifted with such natural technical batting excellence, which he has combined with his hard work and commitment. He is indeed a phenomena and a role model for every young batsman." - Hanif Mohammad, the former Pakistan batsman, admires Tendulkar's perseverance

 

"I've never imagined that someone can go this level and play for more than 20 years. It's an incredible feat." - Graeme Pollock is impressed by Tendulkar's longevity

 

"I'd like to ask him just how he has managed to work so hard to stay at the top for so long and what advice he'd give other sportsmen." - The fastest man on earth, Usain Bolt, is a fan

"If I'm a cricketer, it's because of Sachin Tendulkar. Else, I would have never picked up a bat. He's the reason behind me playing cricket." - Virender Sehwag gives us another reason to be thankful for Tendulkar

Twitter reactions to Sachin Tendulkar becoming the first batsman to make 50 Test centuries

Sanjay Manjrekar: "He has got it finally! and judging from his reaction..meant a lot to him...the 50th test ton..this is one record that is there to stay."

Harsha Bhogle: "All great players redefine their profession.50 Test hundreds was considered unthinkable. Sachin has done it."

Yuvraj Singh: "Greatest achievement by a bats man ever! His name is sachinnnnnnn tendulkarrrrrrrrrr!! Wooohooooooooo."

Iain O'Brien: "Congrats you little massive legend!"

For Shardashram, Sachin is still in school

Two decades is enough time for even cliches to change, but the presence of Sachin Tendulkar at his alma mater, Shardashram Vidyamandir, hasn’t diminished at all. It has been twenty years since Sachin Tendulkar began etching history in Shardashram whites, but students still talk about the great batsman as if he were present right there — as if he’d join them later in the noon for math class.

‘‘ His every move is a case study for us. Our opponents always think we are really good and we don’t need to tell you the reason ,’’ smiles batsman Sagar More.

Any talk of Sachin and the children beam with pride. Says 16-year-old Akash Saraswat, a budding bowler, ‘‘ Playing for Shardashram means learning to balance pride with pressure. We don’t just represent the school. We represent all our heroes and Sachin is on top of that list.’’

‘‘ Twenty? What he has done for Shardashram won’t fade for another 40 years to come,’’ says Naresh Churi, who has been coaching, for a decade now, at the school he once studied in.

Churi rewinds to the Tendulkar era at Shardashram. ‘‘ Back then, if a coach knew his ward had it in him to make it big, he would send him here,’’ he says.

‘‘ Sachin came from Bandra, Kambli from Kanjurmarg and Chandrakant Pandit from Chembur. The school team used to win every other tournament it played. Then again, there were about 25 schools playing competitive cricket. Today, the flood of academies and schools in every nook and cranny of Mumbai leaves us the task of digging out gems from a select bunch. The talent is there but again, how often can you find a Sachin?’’

The school, though a shadow of its once dominant self, hasn’t stopped delivering talent to the Mumbai team. And that is what makes Shardashram special. ‘‘ We did it then (when Sachin was there) and are doing it now. That is what sets us apart from other sides. The current team keeps looking at all our heroes and that keeps them going,’’ he says.

Churi, however, feels Tendulkar had the biggest impact on the school management. ‘‘ The difference has been tremendous. The mentality that only education can get you places on the world map has taken a backseat. The support that we have been getting is the best gift that Sachin left behind,’’ says Churi.

Interestingly, though everyone ranging from Australians to Sri Lankan cricketers are discussed here when when it comes to learning the finer points of the game, it’s only Tendulkar who turns teacher when it comes to being a good human being.

‘‘ Keep all his records and tons aside and just look at him as Tendulkar , the human being. He is a university. It’s a miracle he has managed to stay grounded for 20 years. I tell the boys that if it’s anything about him they should ape, it is his behaviour. You can get all his statistics and records online, but you cannot understand what a brilliant human being he is until you know him personally ,’’ says Churi.

ET Editorial | Sachin ka Saamna

Sachin Tendulkar has dealt with some of the most hostile bowling on his way to greatness in cricket. The latest bodyline attack comes though not from the gentleman’s game but from the big bad world of politics. Bal Thackeray has taken umbrage to the master blaster’s declamation that Mumbai belongs to all Indians and lashed out at him in Saamna, the Shiv Sena’s quasi-official newspaper.

In an editorial, Mr Thackeray has asked the little master to “refrain from using his tongue to bat against the just and legitimate rights of the Marathi manoos” on grounds that they might not like it. So what is it that Mr Thackeray thinks the Marathi manoos might not like? The fact that Mumbai is a part of India? The fact that they are Indians?

The fact that this is a democracy where people have the right to stay in any part of the country? The fact that Sachin Tendulkar is proud to be an Indian? Unfortunately, unless we were to conduct an opinion poll — and those are rather unreliable — it would be hard to conclusively answer these questions.

What we do know from the recent assembly elections in Maharashtra is that the Marathi manoos does not particularly like the Sena, either variant of it. Then too Mr Thackeray had lashed out, ironically at the Marathi manoos, saying they had stabbed him in the back. He further went on to say that he had lost his faith in the Marathi manoos.

Strange that in a matter of months, the man who lost faith in the people is now speaking for the very same people. Coming back to the controversy, Tendulkar’s place in history is guaranteed regardless of what his critics, on or off the field, say about him. However, for the Shiv Sena to not end up being consigned by history books as a has-been, Mr Thackeray would be better off with Sach ka Saamna (confronting the truth) rather than Sachin ka Saamna.

Even at 13, he knew his job: Mayur Kadrekar

Mayur Kadrekar was Sachin's captain at Shardashram school.

As far as I can think of Sachin, all I can remember is that despite being so young and shy, the whole team depended on him completely for runs. Even during that time, he was just plundering them, whether it was school cricket or Harris Shield or Giles Shield. Everybody knew that the boy would make it to the Indian team some day soon.


What we never imagined is that he would carry on to this extent. He used to make the batting crease his own personal space and even at the age of 13 or 14, he had a clear understanding of the task ahead. That was the Tendulkar I knew as a schoolboy.

Just to see him train is hugely inspiring: VVS Laxman

Amazing Balance: It has been a great pleasure and a privilege playing alongside Sachin Tendulkar and sharing the same dressing room with him. As a batsman, I find his balance amazing. I also admire his eagerness and unending appetite to score runs for the country.

Meticulous: Despite being a legend, what everyone should learn from him is the way he prepares and the hard work he puts in before a match. Just to see him go through the grind at the practice session is hugely inspiring.

Great Human Being: Having said that, what I is really like about Sachin is the kind of person he is. Despite achieving so much as a cricketer in the last twenty years, he hasn’t changed as a person. He is a person who respects his elders and has great family values.

Tendulkar is beyond compare: Gavaskar

Sachin Tendulkar has managed an achievement beyond compare by completing 20 years in international cricket, feels Sunil Gavaskar, who considers the veteran right-hander the greatest batsman that the game has seen.

"I think, apart from Sir Garfield Sobers nobody else has played 20 years in international cricket and 20 years playing at the very highest level and to the very highest standard is an achievement beyond compare," Gavaskar said of the 36-year-old, who completed his two decades in international cricket today.

"No place can be too high for this young man and he is young because as far as his enthusiasm for the game is concerned, he is almost childlike. That is what is keeping him going on and on," he told 'CNN-IBN'.

Gavaskar, himself a celebrated batsman of his era, said he started understanding cricket only post 1960 and is yet to see a batsman as complete as Tendulkar.

"Since 1960, from when I started to understand a little bit of cricket, he has been the greatest batsman that the game has seen," he said.