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 Sachin Tendulkar- The Pride of the Nation 

Amidst the current cricket crisis, caused by the betting and match fixing allegations, Sachin Tendulkar is one of the few cricketers whose reputation remains untarnished . With a cloud of suspicion hovering precariously over other top- notch cricketers, Sachin's presence offers a glimmer of hope for Indian cricket. Even after his resignation from the captaincy of the Indian cricket team , he remains a crucial team player and is, arguably, the most exciting batsmen in contemporary cricket.

Sachin is the Maradona of Indian cricket. Like his favorite footballer Maradona, his diminutive stature is in stark contrast to his reputation as a veritable giant, who wields his bat like a magic wand to cast a hypnotic spell on the opposition. Sachin took to cricket at a very young age, playing cricket for his school, Sharadashram, where he had such team-mates as the talented Vinod Kambli. He was initially trained by the respected coach, Ramakant Achrekar. He made his international test debut at the tender age of 16, on a tour of Pakistan in 1989. According to Ian Chappell, Sachin is bestowed with "peripheral awareness." Sachin has a mental map logged in his brain of the field, which allows him to place the ball at will and score runs even against the most potent opposition.

Sachin is blessed with a good eye which enables him to judge the length of the delivery when the bowler releases it from his hand.. In addition to this, he has a relaxed stance at the crease, sound technique, courage, strength of character and stamina. Sachin is a photographer's delight - when he goes on the rampage and hammers the bowler into submission. The renowned spin wizard, Shane Warne, was quick to realise his batting prowess after he (Warne) experienced an unforgettable nightmare at the hands of the champion batsman on the Australian tour of India in 1997-98.

At the age of 27, Sachin surpassed Mohammed Azharuddin's record of 9372 runs in one day internationals with a knock of 69 against New Zealand in the final of ICC trophy at Nairobi Gymkhana in October 2000. Sachin accomplished this feat in only 253 matches as compared to Azharuddin's 313 matches. He also broke the previous record held by Desmond Haynes of 18 centuries in one-dayers and emerged as the highest scorer with 25 centuries. Sachin has also scored more than 6000 test runs in 79 test matches. Sachin also recorded his highest one day score of 186 against New Zealand at Hyderabad in 1999. He scored his second double hundred in test cricket with a knock of against Zimbabwe at Nagpur in November 2000.

Wasim Akram, the great Pakistani allrounder has rightly pointed out in his biography that Sachin will break all records. However, the greatest tribute came from the legendary Don Bradman who said that the Indian maestro plays very much like him. Little wonder that Sachin was signed up by World Tel for $ 7.5 million for a 5-year contract to endorse its products. Needless to say, Sachin will steer Indian cricket to greater heights in the new millennium, as he continues to terrorise opposition bowlers, and delight his cricket watchers from all over the globe.