Alas, that was not to be. Opinions have been mixed, but the consensus is clustered around two reasons for Tendulkar's indifferent performance -- his father's untimely demise, and his opening the batting. In an Express poll, 74 per cent respondents believed Tendulkar should have been sent lower down the order.

But despite the ebb, his stature as the best batsman in the world, and Mumbai's honour as the city that houses him, remain unscathed.

Former West Indies opener Allen Rae led the accolades by describing Tendulkar as the batsman with the best technique in the world. ``He has total grasp on the technical aspect of the batting, he moves his feet well and correctly andhis head is firm while batting.''

Rae said among contemporary batsmen, Tendulkar stood, ``head and shoulder above others. He is a beautiful player and I wish I could film his batting or bring up children from my native place in Jamaica to see him in action.''

He compared Tendulkar with former West Indian opener George Headley and said, ``I consider Headley the best player of his era because I have not seen much of Sir Don Bradman. Headley never made the same error twice. He was a brainy cricketer, I find Tendulkar in his mould.'' Rae said despite Tendulkar's none-too-impressive performance in the World Cup, ``I have no hesitation calling him the best because he is a complete batsman who ought to make least amount of errors.

``I only watch Tendulkar on television and once he is out I switch it off, so my knowledge of other Indian players is incomplete,'' he admitted.Said Martin Crowe, ``Tendulkar is at present to One-day cricket what Don Bradman was to Test cricket omnipotent. Tendulkar will evoke thesame aura in the years to come. He is an aristocrat among cricketers. Tendulkar enjoys a God-like status in India and in my view, it is earned. He will take his place among the Gods of the game.''

Compliments also came from unexpected quarters. Aussie paceman Glenn McGrath said, ``He (Tendulkar) is definitely very tough to bowl against and to me at least he appears to be the best batsman I have ever faced.''

Clyde Walcott added, ``There are still players in a number of sides who excite me enough to travel half the globe to see them. Tendulkar heads that list and it includes Aravinda de Silva, Jonty Rhodes and Brian Lara.''

TENDULKAR VS LARA: Tendulkar is hands-down favourite in his battle with Brian Lara for the world' best batsman's crown. Critics from all quarters, including Shane Warne, have rated Tendulkar higher.

Warne said, ``Every time that guy (Tendulkar) bats against us, it seems to be his testimonial. When he gets set, there is not a chink in his game. When there is comparison betweenTendulkar and Lara, I have to put Tendulkar above from personal experience.''

``I don't think Tendulkar has any enemies in the game and you can sense a groundswell of sympathy (for him) throughout the tournament (after his bereavement).''

Simon Wilde had a heady comparison between the two in The Sunday Times during the run up to the World Cup. ``The contrasts between Indian prince and Caribbean king are fascinating. Lara seems to love pleasing crowds, love piling one breathless stroke on top of another. He marvels at his talent and invites the public to do the same.''

``Tendulkar, who perhaps has had his fill of crowds for one lifetime, appears to prefer playing the game as a one-on-one with bowlers whose confidence he chillingly aims to dismantle brick by brick.''

``To Lara, net practice is often an unnecessary chore; to Tendulkar, it is a laboratory in which he can seek ways to improve shots only he considers short of perfection. While Lara has been known to opt for a late soiree before restoringhis people's pride, Tendulkar prefers quiet nights in his hotel room.''

What they say about Tendulkar

Sir Vivian Richards:

He's special. The sky is the limit for him.

Darren Gough: When he came to us (Yorkshire), he was a shy lad and yet people were in awe of him. He was 18 and everyone was expecting a superstar to walk through the door. Even in the nets his wicket was special. When Tendulkar was married, he invited every member of the Yorkshire team over to Mumbai. He also offered to pay everyone's travel and bills. It would have cost him a fortune. But it is a measure of the man he had not forgotten his old team-mates.

Bob Willis (after the century against Kenya): I have a feeling we are looking at the best batsman of all time. His innings was an exhibition of perfection.

Sunil Gavaskar: In the 1960s and 1970s, inter-university cricket would go into the middle of February, and with exams barely three weeks later, many a cricketer, average in studies, wasstruggling to catch up with his curriculum. Prof Tendulkar of Siddharth College would take extra classes and give tuition to these players to ensure they did not lose a year.

So, when young Tendulkar started to bat the way he does, plenty of people who knew the senior Tendulkar's contribution were sure it was God's way of rewarding him with a son as talented as Tendulkar.

Harsha Bhogle: Somebody who was born to spread happiness.

Barry Richards: He can do anything, anytime, anywhere. That's how I rate him.