h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

There's a major celebration going on in India this week. The world's most famous cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar will retire after playing his last test match. The event is taking place at Mumbai, where India are playing against the West Indies.

To a neutral like me, Tendulkar is a very good batsman - he's an attacking player, and has faultless technique. Short in stature, his greatest asset is his timing. He can defend his wicket against anything the best bowlers can throw at him, and he scores lots of spectacular boundaries. However, he's not the best batsman there's ever been. Brian Lara was more naturally talented, Don Bradman had better averages, Kevin Pietersen plays with more passion and aggression.

Yet to the Indians Sachin is quite simply a god. He rose from a humble background through his natural talent, and represented his country at the tender age of 16. 24 years later he is still playing at the highest level - this is his 200th test match - a world record by some distance. As a result of his longevity, he's also scored more runs than anyone else in the game.

And it goes without saying that, idolised by a large percentage of India's billion-strong population, the guy gets mobbed wherever he goes. It would be enough to make anyone else crack up, but Sachin has calmly taken it in his short stride for 24 years.

I've worked with many Indian guys over the years, and once they hear that I enjoy cricket, they want to tell me about him. He's glued together their melting pot of a nation. One guy in particular was almost in tears as he described to me the great Sachin innings he'd seen. He called him 'The little man'.

It's still an enigma to me - how so many could idolise this one guy. I guess it's probably because he's one of them who made it good. He followed the Indian Dream.

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The best quote I've seen about Tendulkar was made in 2011 by US President Barack Obama: "I don't know about cricket but still I watch cricket to see Sachin play … Not because I love his play - its because I want to know the reason why my country's production goes down by 5 percent when he's batting."

That's a fantastic quote.

Tendulkar is one of those names that has always been present throughout most of my life, even if I'm not a cricket watcher (my dad loves it so I've always been used to it being on even if it isn't me who watches it). It will be odd to think that's he won't be there any more.

Better to retire on a high though.

Football was my first love and always will be. But I get immense pleasure from watching cricket. The beauty of cricket is that you can appreciate great play from the opposition. If a player from some Northern team runs through our North London defence and scores a great goal I curse him.

When Tendulkar hits a four to pass yet another hundred I can stand and applaud. Cricket is a team game but it has room for individuals.

I remember being in Australia in the seventies when the England team was captained by Mike Denness. He had a torrid time, finding run scoring against Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson very difficult (who didn't). The final sixth test was played in Sydney. The series was over, Australia had won the series, Denness walked out to the crease to the jeers of a triumphant Aussie crowd.

And he just dug in. Scored 188 and England won by an innings. Too late to make a difference but the important point that is the reason I love cricket is that when he got to 100 the entire ground stood and applauded and cheered him.

And then just as we settled down for the next delivery a lone Aussie voice rang out, "Now knock his head off"

You have a good memory - Here's the scorecard

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63141.html

I first came across the name in Skanky's sports column.

A42375404

Lanzababy

Deb

Icy Naj 15 Shackleton caught that didnt he, sounds painful best wrap it in a sock and try and keep it warm.

Hey, thanks for this inspirational piece! Part of my writing assignment for today is to write a page about cricket.

Thank zarquon for h2g2...

My sport has always been football (soccer) as well, from the time I lived in England, but I was aware of cricket in the same way I'm aware of Sanskrit or the general theory of relativity.

Actually, I do understand about defending the wicket and overs and centuries. And I lived for years in Moseley Village where, if the wind was right, you could hear the West Indians drumming at Edgbaston cricket ground.

Cricket, Sanskrit, and the general theory of relativity share common links. Like Cricket you don't have to understand Sanskrit to appreciate how beautiful it looks. And the general theory is like Cricket in that you don't have to understand it at all, it just underpins the universe.

[Amy P]

*huff, puff, wheeze*