Saluting the grand daddy of world cricket

Some of his cheekier teammates in the Indian team might have taken to calling Sachin Tendulkar "grandpa".

While it is an indirect tribute to his sheer longevity in international cricket, these colleagues would be among the first to admit that a more apt term for the great man would be to call him the grand daddy of international cricket.

Despite being into his 21st year at the highest level of the game, Sachin's appetite remains as insatiable and his skills as incandescent as they ever were.

The feat becomes all the more remarkable when you consider that Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, the two greats of Indian cricket who can be mentioned in the same breath as Sachin, hung up their boots after playing careers that lasted 17 years.

Brian Lara, Sachin's greatest contemporary, meanwhile, bowed out of Tests after 17 years and ODIs in his 18th year.

Like Ol' Man River, the little genius, who celebrates his 37th birthday on Saturday, however, just goes on and on.

In fact, the last four years, beginning with 2007, have witnessed a glorious renaissance after a temporary dip in his levels of performance. Sachin has been among the most dominant batsmen in Tests, ODIs and now in the IPL too.

Text : R Rajesh Kumar

Images : Getty

Wish Sachin on his birthday