A CRICKETING landmark was reached last Wednesday at the Indian city of Gwalior when Sachin Tendulkar became the first batsman in history to score 200 runs in a one-day international (ODI). The Indian icon achieved the latest feat in his record-breaking career against South Africa, one of the world's top bowling and fielding teams.
Critics might carp that this knock came on a pitch perfect for batting, but of all the batsmen on view that evening, only Tendulkar showed the patience and the skills to go on and on till he broke the existing record (194) and then the 200-run barrier.
Breaking records is nothing new for Tendulkar, cricket's ultimate achiever. The astonishing thing is that, at the ripe old sporting age of 36, he is enjoying what are some of the best years of his extraordinary career.
Runs are pouring from his bat nowadays - he is arguably even more consistent now than when he was in the prime of his youth a decade ago. And now, another unbelievable feat could be his this year itself - that of scoring a 'century of centuries'. Tendulkar's unbeaten 200 at Gwalior was his 46th century in 442 ODIs. He has also scored 47 in 166 Tests, giving him a total of 93 hundreds at the highest levels of the game - miles ahead of any other player.
Cricket fans would expect nothing less from the man who has come to epitomise everything that is honourable about this great game. Tendulkar is the ultimate pro. Last year, he completed 20 years in international cricket, but at times it seems he is just starting out - such is his hunger for the game. It is hard to think of any sportsperson, in any sport, at any time, who has been among the best in the world for 20 years at a stretch.
Tendulkar looks as if he can continue playing for India at least till he's 40, fitness permitting: his enthusiasm for the game is still almost boyish and is evident from the way he chases and dives after balls in the field, and how he runs between the wickets when he bats.
He is now at that stage of his career when he knows exactly how to bat. Having watched him play hundreds of times over the last two decades, I could not help noticing how much he has adapted his style over the years. Gone are the over- the-top strokes of the mid-1990s when he was quite the dasher. The master batsman has now become the low-risk run-gatherer supreme.
Tendulkar's trademark shots these days are the flick, the glide, the nudge and the straight drive past the bowler. Though he has every shot in his repertoire, he has cut down on the more risky ones (like the pull and the hook). The result: Tendulkar is now arguably the most difficult batsman for a bowler to dismiss.
He may lack the flamboyance of a Virender Sehwag, the brute power of a Mahendra Singh Dhoni or the pure artistry of a VVS Laxman, but he can still tear a bowling attack apart, and is breathtaking to watch.
Although it is likely that some of Tendulkar's many records will be broken one day, whoever does it will be a mighty tired player. The batsman whom many once regarded as his rival for the title of the 'best batsman of the modern age', the now retired West Indian Brian Lara, has been left behind. Tendulkar's other contemporary batting rivals, Australia's Ricky Ponting and South Africa's Jacques Kallis, are less consistent, though they are both capable of record-breaking performances.
Some pundits are suggesting that Tendulkar might just be a greater batsman than even Sir Donald Bradman, the Aussie who has been unanimously rated the finest willow-wielder in the history of cricket.
For a player who made his international debut in 1989, Tendulkar's glittering career has been virtually free of major controversies, rows or scandals. As former Pakistan captain Aamer Sohail observed: 'The biggest reason he (Tendulkar) gets all these records is because he respects the game tremendously.' Cricket prides itself as a gentleman's sport. Tendulkar personifies it.
Though he guards his privacy fiercely, he does so in an inoffensive manner. And though Indian fans openly treat him as a deity ('Cricket is our religion and Sachin is our God' often read some banners held aloft in the stands), he keeps his feet on the ground and never lets the hype and adulation go to his head.
What lies ahead for Tendulkar? There is no talk yet of his career winding down, though he has stopped playing 20-overs cricket, the newest and most frenetic format of the game.
The batting genius already has over 30,000 runs (yet another record) in international cricket. And cricket fans around the world can count themselves blessed that the 'Little Master' still has plenty more innings to play.
This comment was published in The Business Times newspaper, Singapore, on Feb 27, 2010.