by Saurabh Somani
The ability of one man to bring so much joy and unite the most diverse country on earth leaves people with different reactions. Some have gushed that they can now die happy, some have wept tears of joy, some have re-iterated the fact that there is only one God that they worship. To the last, I'd like to say Sachin Tendulkar is not god.
He is not god, because there is ample scope to question the existence of a god, but there is no scope to question the godliness of Tendulkar's feats. No sir, he is far beyond mere godhead.
He continuously pushes the boundaries of what we can allow ourselves to expect of him. And then goes out and achieves something even bigger.
After yesterday's knock, praises came pouring in thick and fast for Sachin - from players, ex-players, administrators, team-mates and fans alike. Here is a list of who said what:
"There is just no question about that. He is the greatest batsman the game has ever seen. See his record! Who else has got 90-plus centuries, 17000-plus runs in ODIs and 13000-plus runs in Test cricket? He is comfortably the greatest batsman ever." - Sunil Gavaskar.
"Yes, yes, yes! Well done Sachin my friend. Congrats and well done! (It's) awesome." - Shane Warne.
"I thought the way he celebrated when he reached his 200 epitomised the man's persona. There was no running laps around the field, no aggressive gestures, nothing over-the-top. He did what he always does, raised both his arms, closed his eyes for a moment and quietly acknowledged that it had been done." - Anil Kumble.
"Sachin - the greatest ever player ever - without any doubt... I salute Sachin... World's greatest sportsman. We can see him only rise. (He is an) inspiration to us all. He is the best." - Lalit Modi
"He is my favourite player. I had said that one day he would go on to break all batting records and now you see him scoring runs and runs." - Javed Miandad.
"For any cricketer he is the perfect role model. The great thing about him is that he has been outstanding in both Tests and ODIs. As a Pakistani player, I know how much value we have always put on his wicket." - Shoaib Malik.
"I think if you ask Saeed Anwar, he would say he's happy that Tendulkar broke his record. The reason for his success is that he has a great respect for the game." - Aamir Sohail.
"Whatever record is seen to be impossible to achieve, he makes it possible. That's all I can say." - Bapu Nadkarni.
"All kneel down and praise whatever god you fancy for the mighty Sachin Tendulkar. This could just be turning into the greatest year of his international career, more than 20 years after it began." - The Times, London.
"I have never liked comparisons between great players, but after Wednesday's incredible game it must be said: Sachin Tendulkar is the greatest batsman of all time. Better than Brian Lara and Ricky Ponting, the other two great players of my era. Better than Sir Viv Richards, Sunil Gavaskar and Allan Border. And I would even say better than Sir Don Bradman himself." - Nasser Hussain.
"His record speaks for itself. He's probably the greatest batsman I've ever watched or played with in my whole life." - Michael Clarke.
"Tendulkar amazing actually bigger then amazing the guy is a genius what a innings .. Well done to him not a easy attack either." - Damien Martyn.
"Sachin Paaji..I remember ad where that little kid is playing with the car and his father tells him: 'Stop playing now' and the kid replies...'What can I do papa, the petrol never finishes in the car!' hahaha..." - Yuvraj Singh.
"Tendulkar is sincerity personified. He has made sacrifices in his life, there is a lot of dedication involved and he is very passionate about achieving something." - Kapil Dev
"I have not seen Bradman playing cricket. I have played with Sachin and he is a great batsman and I have not seen a player like him. Sachin is a phenomenon and a great cricketer." - Sourav Ganguly
The ability of one man to bring so much joy and unite the most diverse country on earth leaves people with different reactions. Some have gushed that they can now die happy, some have wept tears of joy, some have re-iterated the fact that there is only one God that they worship. To the last, I'd like to say Sachin Tendulkar is not god.
He is not god, because there is ample scope to question the existence of a god, but there is no scope to question the godliness of Tendulkar's feats. No sir, he is far beyond mere godhead.
He continuously pushes the boundaries of what we can allow ourselves to expect of him. And then goes out and achieves something even bigger.
After yesterday's knock, praises came pouring in thick and fast for Sachin - from players, ex-players, administrators, team-mates and fans alike. Here is a list of who said what:
"There is just no question about that. He is the greatest batsman the game has ever seen. See his record! Who else has got 90-plus centuries, 17000-plus runs in ODIs and 13000-plus runs in Test cricket? He is comfortably the greatest batsman ever." - Sunil Gavaskar.
"Yes, yes, yes! Well done Sachin my friend. Congrats and well done! (It's) awesome." - Shane Warne.
"I thought the way he celebrated when he reached his 200 epitomised the man's persona. There was no running laps around the field, no aggressive gestures, nothing over-the-top. He did what he always does, raised both his arms, closed his eyes for a moment and quietly acknowledged that it had been done." - Anil Kumble.
"Sachin - the greatest ever player ever - without any doubt... I salute Sachin... World's greatest sportsman. We can see him only rise. (He is an) inspiration to us all. He is the best." - Lalit Modi
"He is my favourite player. I had said that one day he would go on to break all batting records and now you see him scoring runs and runs." - Javed Miandad.
"For any cricketer he is the perfect role model. The great thing about him is that he has been outstanding in both Tests and ODIs. As a Pakistani player, I know how much value we have always put on his wicket." - Shoaib Malik.
"I think if you ask Saeed Anwar, he would say he's happy that Tendulkar broke his record. The reason for his success is that he has a great respect for the game." - Aamir Sohail.
"Whatever record is seen to be impossible to achieve, he makes it possible. That's all I can say." - Bapu Nadkarni.
"All kneel down and praise whatever god you fancy for the mighty Sachin Tendulkar. This could just be turning into the greatest year of his international career, more than 20 years after it began." - The Times, London.
"I have never liked comparisons between great players, but after Wednesday's incredible game it must be said: Sachin Tendulkar is the greatest batsman of all time. Better than Brian Lara and Ricky Ponting, the other two great players of my era. Better than Sir Viv Richards, Sunil Gavaskar and Allan Border. And I would even say better than Sir Don Bradman himself." - Nasser Hussain.
"His record speaks for itself. He's probably the greatest batsman I've ever watched or played with in my whole life." - Michael Clarke.
"Tendulkar amazing actually bigger then amazing the guy is a genius what a innings .. Well done to him not a easy attack either." - Damien Martyn.
"Sachin Paaji..I remember ad where that little kid is playing with the car and his father tells him: 'Stop playing now' and the kid replies...'What can I do papa, the petrol never finishes in the car!' hahaha..." - Yuvraj Singh.
"Tendulkar is sincerity personified. He has made sacrifices in his life, there is a lot of dedication involved and he is very passionate about achieving something." - Kapil Dev
"I have not seen Bradman playing cricket. I have played with Sachin and he is a great batsman and I have not seen a player like him. Sachin is a phenomenon and a great cricketer." - Sourav Ganguly
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