At a party held during Tendulkar debut series in Pakistan,Srikkanth came in a white beard, Kapil in a salt-and-pepper one and Kiran More in black wig and lipstick. He walked coquettishly across the room to the sound of catcalls...Sachin Tendulkar, too young to need a shave, wore an imposing moustache.
He was just a sixer away from another landmark. But for Sachin Tendulkar, 18, studies arenʼt quite cricket. Busy swatting at deliveries, the new Little Master forgot to swot – failing his HSC exam by six marks. Says his dad:He almost got through.
(45 sec video)
At Sharjah, Sachin Tendulkarwas $3,000 (Rs 71,000) greener for getting the fastest 50—off 40 balls. Looking at the prize money, Sir Garfield Sobers joked:
We got only cycle expense. Today, I donʼt mind padding up again.
In the 1991-2 tour Down Under, Sachinwas hailed as the saviour of Test cricket and nick-named the Magician...
I donʼt want to be just another player. I want people to expect something from me whenever I go out to play. And I donʼt want to fail them.
Sachin talks about Brian Lara (15 sec video)
As a deputy public manager for the Sungrace Mafatlal Group, Tendulkar earns around Rs 1.8 lakh a year. But he landed a £30,000 (Rs 18 lakh) contract to play for English county Yorkshire. During the tour of Australia and World Cup, he earned about Rs 4.79 lakh. His product endorsements of Power, Boost and Band-Aid bought him another Rs 8 lakh in 1991. Tendulkar has probably earned around Rs 32 lakh in all.
Q:What's the stupidest thing said or written about you?
A:That Shilpa Shirodkar and I were having an affair. Because we donʼt know each other at all.
On being made the captain of the Indian team at the age of 23, Tendulkar was asked if he was the best batsman in the world.The moment I start thinking that Iʼm the best, that will be the end of my career,
was his answer.
A year later, India had lost 24 of the 39 matches Tendulkar had captained. The heat was on. Is Sachin a changed man?
Yes. When Iʼm home I can never relax a 100 per cent and she (wife Anjali) knows that. This usually happens when I return from a tour. And Iʼve told her that when Iʼm like that, just let it happen.
(10 second video)
It strikes you starkly that as he turns 25, he has more centuries than he has years in front of his name. Meanwhile, in a corner the conversation goes like this:
Border: Itʼs scary, where the hell do we bowl to him?
Ian Chappell: Yeah mate, but thatʼs with all great players.
Border: Well yes, but imagine what heʼll be like when heʼs 28.
When Mark Mascarenhas acquired the rights to Tendulkar in 1996 for the guaranteed payment of $7.5 million (Rs 31.5 crore) over five years, it appeared an uncalculated risk.
But, says Mascarenhas:Earlier it was a case of not marketing him properly. We raised the stakes.
Indeed, it did. In just under three years, WorldTel has raised $10 million (Rs 42 crore) in Tendulkarʼs name.
(30 second video)
After their Sachin & Kambli record 664 run partnership, Tendulkar was asked about his priorities. Playing for India &and break all batting records,
replied Tendulkar.
(5 second video)
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