He was recently called ‘grandpa’ by Yuvraj Singh in a post match press conference after India won the third ODI in Delhi. And as ‘Team India’ prepares for the crucial 5th match of the series against Australia at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International stadium, the rest of the country waits with bated breath for the ‘grand old little master’ of Indian cricket to scale another peak.

Sachin Tendulkar broke into the international scene almost two decades back. And as he marched on from one milestone to another, a plethora of records have fallen on the wayside making him shine the brightest in the cricketing galaxy.

Known for his commitment towards his team’s cause, Sachin has always played down his achievements and has been a paragon of both modesty and excellence, which is surely a rare combination.

So when the ‘Master Blaster’ goes out to bat next time with only 7 more runs to scale the 17k runs peak in ODIs, the pulse rate of majority of India cricket fans is bound to jump 7 times,(okay that was too much of an exaggeration) but the adrenalin rush cannot be denied by even those who think it is time for Sachin to hang his boots.

Even Indian skipper MS Dhoni confessed recently that everytime Sachin goes out to bat, there are expectations that he will do well. After all, who can forget those days when many a TV sets in India would be switched off once Sachin departed. Those were the days when the ‘little master’ carried the burden of an entire nation on his shoulders. Times surely have changed with the young brigade taking over a lot of responsibility and a share of his limelight too.

... contd.