Sachin Tendulkar Finally Retires From Cricket - The New York Times The New York Times The Opinion Pages |Where the Gods Live On ... and On Search Where the Gods Live On ... and On Sachin Tendulkar Finally Retires From Cricket By TUNKU VARADARAJAN Photo Credit Anthony Russo A POPULAR Indian historian once remarked to me that India is a country where men don’t age well, and of no one is this observation truer than of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, a man who is, at 40 years and some 200 days, the oldest member of India’s cricket team. But let me first be complimentary. Mr. Tendulkar, whom everyone calls Sachin, is the most revered cricketer in India; in fact, it would be entirely accurate to describe him as the most revered contemporary Indian, or even, with only a pinch of hyperbole, the most revered Indian since Mahatma Gandhi held the nation in thrall. Suspend your disbelief and think of him as a cross between Babe Ruth and Martin Luther King.

Sachin currently dominates India’s imagination even more than usual: Today, in his native Mumbai, he will begin playing his 200th test match (as the five-day version of cricket is called), when India takes on the West Indies, a once-mighty team now fallen on hard times. It will also be his last test match, for he will retire from competitive cricket after the game. As the moment of his departure looms, the country is in the fevered throes of one last, mammoth celebration, but also on the un-self-conscious brink of mourning. As Nehru said on Gandhi’s death, so India will say on the day Sachin hangs up his white cricket flannels: “The light has gone out of our lives and there is darkness everywhere.” (India mourns in purple prose.) At the same time, there is also, remarkably, an unsentimental view of Sachin, which is that he should have retired two years ago (or more), that he has stayed at the wicket much too long. Continue reading the main story There is no Indian tradition of graceful retirement.

The inherent human vanity of an authority reluctant to cede the public stage is reinforced by a culture of adulation, of shrieking, ululating crowds, of an uncritical elevation of heroes to godlike status by devotees who will not let go. In politics, in cinema, even in corporate business houses, old Indian men do not fade into the sunset. They hobble on and on. And when they die, they are “kept alive” by heirs who succeed them: sons, daughters, wives. Sport, by its very nature, is different: there is no elegant case for heirs on a cricket team, and the body imposes its own laws of retirement. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Yet Sachin and his fans have tried their best to defy those natural laws. After all, idolatry is an Indian art form. Some Indian gods have three heads, or 10 arms. Others have serpents coiled around their torsos, or rivers streaming from their heads. And one, Sachin, wields a sacred cricket bat, heavy, sweet, made of the finest willow. Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to.

Sign Up Privacy Policy In a land of chronic inefficiency, he was remorselessly efficient; in a land with a global inferiority complex, he was the best in the world; in a land where public figures are strutting peacocks, he was often a picture of painful humility; in a land that thirsts for self-respect, Sachin spelled pride. When he first played for India — in 1989, at age 16, against the old enemy, Pakistan — the country was adrift economically. National morale hit a nadir in 1991, with India pawning gold reserves to stay afloat. Sachin’s blossoming coincided with the economic liberalization that followed, and his cricketing splendor tracked a healthy, sometimes rollicking, growth rate. In his success, he embodied a new Indian self-image. Other heroes have since emerged: younger, brasher, like the New India itself, but Sachin’s heroism reminds the country of a more vulnerable time, and he is loved the more for that.

In purely sporting terms, however, he is but a shadow of his old self, in which he shone as one of the three or four finest players cricket has produced in its long, languorous history. He is now merely a “good” or “better than average” player. Had he been only 24 and this proficient, he’d be an honest contender for a place on the national team. But he is now so much less good than he once was that, when he plays, the more dispassionate among us can see only an ugly gulf between Sachin’s apogee and his plateau. There is more: For a man who built his reputation not just on supreme batsmanship but also on his unwavering modesty, impeccable manners and an evident pleasure in being part of (and never greater than) the team on which he played, there has been an unlovely whiff of selfishness in his reluctance to give way to younger players, in his limpetlike clinging to his place, and in his relentless pursuit of milestones. No cricketer has ever played 200 test matches before. No other cricketer will.

Sachin managed the feat only because he has batted on for 24 years. But we shouldn’t blame Sachin. In any other land, he would have aged, recognized the limitations brought on by age ... and moved on. India has not let him do so. It is India, by its corrosive love, that has betrayed Sachin Tendulkar. Tunku Varadarajan is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution and a writer at large for The Daily Beast. A version of this op-ed appears in print on November 14, 2013, on Page A33 of the New York edition with the headline: Where the Gods Live On ... and On. Today's Paper | Subscribe Sachin Tendulkar, India’s ‘God of Cricket,’ retires - The Washington Post Sachin Tendulkar, India’s ‘God of Cricket,’ retires The inside track on Washington politics. Be the first to know about new stories from PowerPost. Sign up to follow, and we’ll e-mail you free updates as they’re published. You’ll receive free e-mail news updates each time a new story is published. You’re all set!

Goodbye, ‘God of Cricket’ View Photos In his 24 years as a batsman, India’s Sachin Tendulkar has broken almost every record there is in cricket. As he retires after his final match in Mumbai, he leaves a legacy unmatched by any other cricketer. Caption In his 24 years as a batsman, India’s Sachin Tendulkar has broken almost every record there is in cricket. As he retires after his final match in Mumbai, he leaves a legacy unmatched by any other cricketer. March 16, 2012 Indian students at a school in Chennai, southern India, hold a large poster of Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar after he batted for his landmark 100th century. (A century equals 100 runs.) Tendulkar, 40, announced in October that he will retire from international cricket after playing his 200th test match, which will take place Nov. 14 to 18 in Mumbai. AP By Annie Gowen By Annie Gowen November 14, 2013 Follow @anniegowen MUMBAI — Just before 4 p.m.

Thursday, work paused here in India’s humming financial capital. Power flickered in small villages as hundreds of thousands watched TV. Streets lay deserted. All over the country, millions of cricket-crazy Indians stopped what they were doing to watch a diminutive, curly-haired man — one of the best batsmen ever to play the game, or so they say — take the field for the last time. This week, Sachin Tendulkar is playing his final match for India, retiring after an extraordinarily long 24-year career that began in 1989, when he was only 16. He is now 40. In the intervening years, the quiet son of a novelist set record after record and brought home the World Cup for India in 2011, a moment he calls the highlight of his career. He is now one of the world’s richest athletes — ranked 51st on the Forbes list of the highest-paid, ahead of Serena Williams and Gilbert Arenas — with $22 million in earnings. But more important, the polite family man invariably described as “humble” has become an Indian national treasure.

In a country that has earned only 26 Olympic medals — all at the Summer Games — and where chess is covered in sports pages, there is only one sport that truly matters, and only one icon: Sachin. The T-shirts say it all: “Cricket is my religion, and Sachin is my god.” 1 of 13 Fans say farewell to India’s cricket god, Sachin Tendulkar View Photos The cricketer, whose career has spanned 24 years, plays his final match for India this week in his home town of Mumbai. Thousands of fans have gathered to watch him take the field one last time — or at least get a glimpse of one of the best batsmen of all time. Caption The cricketer, whose career has spanned 24 years, plays his final match for India this week in his home town of Mumbai. Thousands of fans have gathered to watch him take the field one last time — or at least get a glimpse of one of the best batsmen of all time. Nov.

14, 2013 Indian school children display posters of Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar as they gather to honor him in Chennai, India before he retires from the game. Tendulkar’s career began in 1989, when he was 16. Arun Sankar K/AP Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue. “He’s everything to India,” said Amit Karkhanis, 32, an insurance claims processor, on his way into Mumbai’s cavernous Wankhede cricket stadium Thursday. “He’s like the Michael Jordan of cricket, if you can say that. Actually, he’s the Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal of cricket combined.” Later that afternoon, Tendulkar strode onto the field in his home town, swinging his bat, before a crowd that included Bollywood stars, corporate titans and his mother, who had never seen him play live before. As he took his place on the pitch, the sellout crowd roared his name — and wept. ‘Symbol of the new India’ India was a far different place when Tendulkar first took the field for his country in a match against Pakistan in November 1989.

Since then, India has had nine prime ministers and seven general elections, and it has put in place economic reforms that spurred rapid growth — recently slowed. “In a very literal sense, his career has spanned the enormous changes in the last two decades in India,” said James Astill, author of “ The Great Tamasha: Cricket, Corruption, and the Turbulent Rise of Modern India .” Meanwhile, cricket has changed, too. The game dates in India to the time of the British Raj and was for decades dominated by the elite from Bombay, now Mumbai. During Tendulkar’s tenure, Indian cricket became far more democratic, Astill says, with the country’s growing affluence and widening TV viewership bringing in new fans. When Tendulkar began playing, about 30 million Indian households had TV sets, Astill notes; now, 160 million do. At the same time, the game’s governing board and professional league became far richer — and corrupt, hit by a string of match-fixing scandals . Tendulkar, however, remained untarnished.

“Cricket is one of the most conspicuous indicators of India’s new wealth and confidence, and Sachin is the most successful Indian cricketer of all time, so he’s almost a symbol of the new India, you might say,” Astill said. In the mid-1990s, Tendulkar garnered a $7.5 million endorsement deal, unheard-of at the time. Even today, with his career ending, he still has a $1.2 million-per-year deal with Coca-Cola, which Forbes notes is far more than the annual salary of many other cricketers. India's "Little Master" Sachin Tendulkar announced his retirement from cricket in October. Watch a 2011 ESPN documentary that looks at his rise in one of the most popular sports in the world. (YouTube.com/Mojlum Comrade) Over the years, Indians have forged such a personal connection to Tendulkar that many can remember where they were when they witnessed his career milestones. There was his debut as a youngster against Pakistan, when he was hit by a ball but played on with a bloody nose, said Sushila Iyer, 58, a housewife from Mumbai.

There was the time he became the first to score 100 centuries (a century equals 100 runs) in international matches; the time he played in a World Cup game the day after his father’s funeral, crying behind dark glasses; and the time he helped India win the World Cup for the first time in 28 years. “He’s one of those people who have achieved excellence and pushed the pedestal of sport to another level,” said Boria Majumdar, a cricket historian who is working on a book with Tendulkar. “But he did it with 1.2 billion people breathing down his neck, 24-7, 365 days a year.” Through the years, Tendulkar managed the pressure thrust upon him by his compatriots with relative grace. He rarely says much and, unlike other sports stars, doesn’t provoke scandalous headlines. He married a pediatrician five years his elder and had two children. The family lives quietly in a palatial bungalow not far from the middle-class neighborhood where he grew up. What next for a god? Early Thursday, the line outside the cricket ground stretched for several blocks. The fans shouted and cheered and waved pricey, hard-won tickets.

They paid for street painters to brush orange, white and green on their faces, the colors of India’s flag. Some had traveled from as far away as England and the United States to see the “God of Cricket” play one last time. On Friday, India had a final look at Tendulkar on the field. After two days of batting, he departed, ending with 74 runs for the match against the West Indies. Many of the fans who came to Wankhede stadium this week are in their 20s and cannot remember when Sachin wasn’t playing for India — so they anticipate an empty feeling when they switch on a cricket telecast in the coming months. Neighborhood watch parties will be no more. Some said they were swearing off cricket altogether. “My childhood is getting over in the next five days,” said Neeraj Jain, an investment banker from Mumbai whose 25 years essentially span Tendulkar’s cricket career. “You can’t process all the emotions coming through. I only see matches to watch him play. I don’t know if I will watch cricket after this.” As for Tendulkar himself, he seems to have enjoyed the waves of accolades he has inspired since he announced his retirement Oct.

10. They wanted to give him an honorary dinner in the eastern city of Kolkata, and he declined, but someone made a wax statue of him anyway. Gold coins have been minted in his honor, stamps created, songs written, “Salaam Sachin” billboards plastered everywhere. There is speculation that he might be interested in politics next — he’s already been named a member of India’s Rajya Sabha, something like Britain’s House of Lords. He has said that he wants to travel with his family. His fans hope he’ll come back to the national pastime as a commentator or coach, but he hasn’t said anything. “I don’t think it’s sunk in yet,” said Majumdar, just before Thursday’s match began. “He’s got five days of cricket left. He wants to love every moment.” Cricket writers who covered a team practice earlier in the week reported that Tendulkar seemed a bit wistful when batting practice was over. After he climbed the stairs to the dressing room, one reporter wrote in Mumbai’s DNA newspaper, he turned back to look over the wide expanse of the green field one last time. Suhasini Raj contributed to this report.

world Sachin Tendulkar retirement news brings India to a halt | Sport | The Guardian Sachin Tendulkar retirement news brings India to a halt Millions watch text of revered cricketer's long-expected announcement streaming across TV screens Indian cricket fans celebrating Sachin Tendulkar's birthday in April this year. Photograph: Noah Seelam/AFP/Getty Images Thursday 10 October 2013 14.59 EDT First published on Thursday 10 October 2013 14.59 EDT Close This article is 3 years old Nehru Place is an unlovely complex of electronics stores which sprawls over half a square mile of south Delhi. Crowds bustle between stacks of computer equipment among its chipped, stained concrete arcades. But when the news that India had long expected – and long feared – finally broke, Nehru Place stopped dead. Sachin Tendulkar , the best known cricketer in India and arguably the most idolised sportsman in the world, had announced his retirement from cricket. "No one could breathe," said Amit Lal, an electronics dealer. "He will be very much missed in India . He is our super master blaster.

Nobody is playing like him." Across the country similar scenes played out. One moment, TV bulletins were running "breaking news" alerts about a cyclone approaching the eastern coast and a live feed of a speech by the scion of India's best-known political dynasty, Rahul Gandhi. The next, both had disappeared. Millions watched the text of the diminutive Tendulkar's announcement streaming across TV screens. "All my life, I have had a dream of playing cricket for India," it read. "I have been living this dream every day for the last 24 years. It's hard for me to imagine a life without playing cricket because it's all I have ever done since I was 11 years old. I look forward to playing my 200th Test match on home soil, as I call it a day." Few doubt Tendulkar, 40, is one of the greatest cricketers of all time. At the age of 15 the novelist's son notched up 326 in an unbroken 664 run partnership, the highest recorded in the sport, with a friend. At 16 he became the youngest Indian to make his Test debut, against Pakistan.

A year later, he hit his first Test century. The "Little Master" became the most prolific batsman in international cricket history. But his extraordinary talent only partly explains his extraordinary stature in his homeland where he is revered with almost religious intensity. "Back in 1989, we were nowhere really as a power in terms of the sport, or financially. But as Sachin has grown, Indian cricket has grown and the two have become fused in people's minds. You see people react to him in a stadium and it's like they've seen a god," said Pradeep Magazine, a well-known Indian sports writer. In 1991, as Tendulkar's career took off, the Indian government pushed through radical economic reforms, triggering massive economic growth and social transformation. Tens of millions of households bought television sets for the first time. Indian authorities sold rights to broadcast cricket to satellite TV networks for huge sums. Advertisers poured in cash. But despite his stardom and success Tendulkar remained humble, professional and grounded. Married with two children, his home life, apart from a taste for luxury Italian or German cars, was entirely traditional. "He is a nice son and a good husband.

He represents certain types of values in spite of India's growth as a cricketing power and his own success," said Pradeep Magazine. Tendulkar is also known as a hardworking perfectionist, which appeals to his fans in Nehru Place – largely self-made or self-employed businessmen – and beyond. "He had all the shots in the book but what was striking was his hunger for the game, not just the talent he was born with but what he did with that talent," Saurav Ganguly, a former captain of India, told NDTV, a local TV channel. The peak of Tendulkar's career coincided with an intense period of economic growth and a new belief in India's rapid transformation into a superpower. He was named player of the 2003 World Cup. In 2004 he hit 248 not out, his highest score. In 2008 he became the highest Test run-scorer ever. The Indian economy was expanding at an average of 9% annually, inspiring even greater confidence and, sometimes, bombast. Indian cricketing authorities were increasingly dominant globally.

"In any country when there is a whole new wave of nationalism and identity and success in a certain sport it is identified in a particular personality. Sachin became the kind of nucleus around which it all revolved. There were other players but they came and went away. Sachin was there throughout," said Alam Srinivas, an Indian author. Though the first Indian sportsman to be nominated to the Rajya Sabha, the national assembly's upper house, Tendulkar has also avoided politics – despite the efforts of successive governments. Then there are the financial rewards, another reason for his popularity. Forbes, the business magazine, lists Tendulkar as the world's 51st highest-paid sportsperson with an income of more than $20m this year from sponsorship deals and winnings. The last Test match played by the Little Master will be on 14 November, against the West Indies, probably in India's commercial capital, Mumbai, where he lives in a five-storey house in the fashionable district of Bandra. Tendulkar's form had been fading for some time. He has given no hint about what he would do with his new leisure time.

It is unclear too, in an India which is seen once more as troubled than shining, what his legacy will be. Akshay Jha, an 11-year-old waiting his turn to bat in an after-school game on the only patch of clear dirt on Nehru Place's choked car park, had no doubt, however. "He is the best, ever," he said. Sachin Tendulkar's retirement : As it happened... | Zee News Sachin Tendulkar's retirement : As it happened... Last Updated: Thursday, October 10, 2013 - 15:45 0 ==================================================================================== Zee Media Bureau New Delhi: Ending all the speculations, Sachin Tendulkar has officially decided to hang his boots after playing his 200th Test against West Indies in November. ==================================================================================== 10:50 pm: Tendulkar’s retirement makes news at ASEAN too Pakistan`s flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Afridi led the tributes for India`s batting maestro, Sachin Tendulkar who announced on Thursday that he would end his Test career after playing in his 200th test.

"Tendulkar has always been in a league of his own. I can`t compare anyone with him," Afridi told PTI. Tendulkar, who made his debut at the tender age of 16, is set to retire after he completes a record 200 Tests. He is the leading Test run-scorer with 15,837 runs. 10:20 pm: Sports minister lauds Tendulkar on a brilliant career The union sports minister Jitendra Singh today congratulated legendary Sachin Tendulkar on a wonderful career, which will come to an end after the historic 200th Test match against West Indies in an upcoming home series, terming him an "extraordinary sports icon". According to a press release issued by the ministry, it states,"Shri Jitendra Singh, Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports wishes Shri Sachin Tendulkar, the very best on his retirement from cricket.

Shri Sachin Tendulkar is an extra-ordinary sports icon who will continue to inspire Indians and all sports lovers to achieve excellence in sports." 9:18 pm: Tendulkar’s retirement makes news at ASEAN too Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar`s announcement to retire from Test cricket today made news here among world leaders and top officials, who assembled for ASEAN and East Asia summits. While cricket is not a popular sport in Brunei Darussalam, a small country with a population of just about 4 lakh people, still, news of Sachin`s retirement was all over the place with members of the Indian delegation, headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also abuzz with it. People from other countries were also seen asking Indian delegates about the announcement. 8:40: Tendulkar rated ahead of Bradman, Lara in an online poll Tendulkar was voted as the greatest batsman of all time, ahead of Don Bradman and Brian Lara, in an online poll conducted by an English newspaper after the news of the Indian batting icon`s retirement from Test cricket broke out on Thursday.

`The Telegraph` asked its readers to choose the best ever from among 10 batsmen -- Tendulkar, Bradman, Lara, Vivian Richards, Ricky Ponting, Gary Sobers, Jacques Kallis, Len Hutton, Rahul Dravid and Allan Border. 2108 voted till 8:30pm IST and Tendulkar received 1,146 votes (54.36%), far ahead of Bradman -- who polled 558 (26.47%). Lara and Richards were distant third and fourth, garnering 132 (6.26%) and 118 (5.6%) respectively. 8:00 pm: Dalmiya hopes Sachin will remain associated with cricket Former ICC chairman Jagmohan Dalmiya today hoped that batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar will continue to remain associated with cricket after retirement. Reacting on Tendulkar`s decision to retire after his 200th Test, Dalmiya said, "I wish him all the best in his 200th Test and I hope he will remain closely associated with the game and continue to guide Indian cricket".

7:40 pm: Rajiv Shukla pays tribute to Tendulkar's career Meanwhile BCCI Vice President Rajiv Shukla also joined in and paid glowing tribute to Tendulkar, saying the batting icon`s retirement from Test cricket will leave a great void in the Indian cricket team. "Sachin`s retirement will leave a great void in the Indian cricket team, something that won`t be easy to fill in. He has been the greatest ambassador for sport in our country" Shukla said. 7:00 pm: 40 facts you must know about Tendulkar! You might or might not be a Tendulkar fan, but here are some facts you would want to know about the Little Master! 40 facts you must know about Tendulkar» 6:40 pm: Tendulkar`s retirement has come at the right time, says Ganguly Former Indian skipper and Tendulkar's long-time opening partner Sourav Ganguly said that the batting maestro's decision to retire from Test cricket had come at the right time.

“This decision has come at the right time,” said Ganguly, who formed the greatest opening pair in One-Day Internationals with Tendulkar. Ganguly, whose cricketing career coincided with the Mumbaikar, said Tendulkar was a “good human being” whose greatest traits were his commitment to the game and temperament. 6:10 pm: Tendulkar`s retirement marks an end of a golden era: Sharad Pawar Former BCCI President Sharad Pawar on Thursday said that Sachin Tendulkar`s decision to quit Test cricket marks the end of a golden era. "Sachin Tendulkar`s decision to retire from Test cricket marks the end of a golden era for not only Indian cricket but of cricket world over. He strode the arena of cricket like a colossus and in his long innings, established many a milestones for himself and the game," Pawar, who was also the former ICC president, said.

5:00 pm: Cricketers pay tributes to Tendulkar There was an eerie sense of emptiness even as cricketers, past and present, paid rich tributes to Sachin Tendulkar as he decided to call time on his illustrious career after playing in his landmark 200th Test next month. Tributes poured in from across the cricketing world, complementing the batting legend for giving fans many, many cheerful moments. "It has left such a big hole to fill in the Indian Test batting line-up. It wouldn't be easy to replace him. See what happened after Laxman, Ganguly and Dravid retired, it would take time for the middle-order to gel," said former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar. 4:20 pm: Full text of Tendulkar's letter to the BCCI Tendulkar sent a letter to the BCCI where he said it was difficult for him to imagine life without cricket as it was something he had been doing for the last 24 years. ==================================================================================== 3:50 pm: Did Tendulkar announce retirement under pressure?

Speculations were rife some days back where reports suggested the BCCI might ask Tendulkar to take a call on his Test career. ==================================================================================== 3:30 pm: Sachin Tendulkar announces retirement from Test cricket “I look forward to playing my 200th Test Match on home soil, as I call it a day. All my life, I have had a dream of playing cricket. I have been living this dream every day for the last 24 years. It’s hard for me to imagine a life without playing because it’s all I have ever done since I was 11 years old,” Tendulkar said on Thursday. The Indian batting legend said his dream was to play cricket and he has been living it since the past 24 years. “All my life, I have had a dream of playing cricket. I have been living this dream everyday for the last 24 years,” Sachin said. The batting maestro said it was difficult for him to imagine life without cricket. “It’s hard for me to imagine a life without playing because it’s all I have ever done since I was 11 years old,” said the 40-year-old.

India will play a two-match Test series against West Indies scheduled to be played from 6th November to 18th November. The Little Master has so far played 198 Test matches where he has scored 15, 837 runs. The reports earlier said that the BCCI might ask Tendulkar to draw curtains to his spectacular Test career after the 200th Test but the 40-year-old himself dismissed them. Tendulkar was a part of the Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians that won their second Champions League title and also the Indian Premier League earlier this year. With PTI inputs Sachin Tendulkar announces he will retire from cricket after his 200th Test Match for India - Telegraph India Sachin Tendulkar announces he will retire from cricket after his 200th Test Match for India India legend Sachin Tendulkar will call time on his career after his 200th Test Match against West Indies in November The greatest?

Sachin Tendulkar has announced his retirement from international cricket Photo: AFP Follow India has started planning sport’s greatest retirement party next month when Sachin Tendulkar bids farewell to cricket after his 200th Test. The man known in his country as the 'God of cricket' announced on Thursday that the second Test against the West Indies would be the final act of a 24-year career, the passing of which has left a gaping hole in terms of a national hero and icon to more than a billion people. India ’s 24-hour rolling news channels were dominated by Tendulkar’s departure. Rahul Gandhi, a member of India’s greatest political dynasty and a strong candidate to become prime minister next year, was wiped off screen in the middle of a speech as the greats of cricket and the ordinary Indian fan hailed the 40-year-old. As the man himself admitted he would find it “hard to imagine life without cricket”, others were describing him as a genius who handled the enormous pressures of living his life in the public gaze of the world’s most fanatical cricket nation but never let his success go to his head.

“He can’t move around anywhere without crowds following him,” said Sunil Gavaskar, the former India opening batsman. “To have that 24/7, 365 days a year and to still go out and not fail to deliver consistently is marvellous. He has got to be a genius.” Related Articles Clarke pulls out of tour to India 01 Oct 2013 As word spread around Mumbai, the state reserve police moved to guard Tendulkar’s house in the city’s exclusive enclave of Bandra West, fearing that thousands of fans would turn up to pay homage to a man with 100 international 100s and 34,273 runs. “His legacy to Indian cricket will be phenomenal,” said Sourav Ganguly, his opening partner in one-day cricket and captain of India. “Two hundred games, the amount of runs, the amount of respect is unbelievable. He is not just a name to Indian cricket but to world cricket as well. It’s not just the talent he was born with but what he did with it.” Attention will shift today to where it will all end. Typically for Indian cricket the arrangements will be hasty and controversial.

The decision to invite the West Indies to tour India next month allows Tendulkar to play his final Test on home soil, a prospect that would not have been possible had the Board of Control for Cricket in India stuck with the International Cricket Council’s programme and visited South Africa as scheduled. That tour is now in major peril with the South African board in dispute with the all-powerful BCCI. The dates of the West Indies tour have been confirmed and Tendulkar’s final match will begin on Nov 14. It would be a major surprise if the game did not take place at the Wankhede Stadium in his home city. &amp;lt;noframe&amp;gt;Twitter: Michael Vaughan - One of the Greatest ever &amp;lt;a href="" target="_blank"&amp;gt;@sachin_rt&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; is retiring... One of my heroes and a absolute joy to play against..

&amp;lt;a href="" target="_blank"&amp;gt;#BornToPlayCricket&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/noframe&amp;gt; &amp;lt;noframe&amp;gt;Twitter: Kevin Pietersen - Sachin &amp;lt;a href="" target="_blank"&amp;gt;#10dulkar&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; - Undisputed Champion of Cricket! &amp;lt;a href="" target="_blank"&amp;gt;#SachinTheGreat&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/noframe&amp;gt; Tendulkar’s form has dipped significantly since his last Test hundred in South Africa in January 2011. He averaged just 18.66 during the home series defeat by England last year and only 32 against Australia in March. Ganguly agreed it was time for Tendulkar to go while players from the world of cricket paid tribute. “Extraordinary talent, extraordinary player and without a weakness anywhere,” said Alastair Cook. Kevin Pietersen described him on Twitter as the “undisputed champion of cricket”.

Tendulkar, who earns $22 million (£13.8 million) annually according to Forbes, spends the British summer living in St John’s Wood in London and will now look for a new challenge. He is a member of India’s upper house of parliament and has been tipped in the past for a role in diplomacy. “All my life, I have had a dream of playing cricket for India, I have been living this dream every day for the last 24 years,” he said in a statement. “It’s hard for me to imagine a life without playing cricket because it’s all I have ever done since I was 11 years old. “It’s been a huge honour to have represented my country and played all over the world.

I look forward to playing my 200th Test match on home soil, as I call it a day.” Sachin Tendulkar to retire from cricket after 200th Test for India | Sport | The Guardian Sachin Tendulkar to retire from cricket after 200th Test for India • India batsman to call time after next month's West Indies Test Thursday 10 October 2013 06.35 EDT First published on Thursday 10 October 2013 06.35 EDT Close This article is 3 years old Sachin Tendulkar , the Indian cricketer known as the Master Blaster, the Little Master or simply "the God of cricket" in his native land, announced on Thursday that he would retire from Test cricket after playing in his 200th Test against West Indies in India next month. The best known sporting celebrity in south Asia, and one of the most popular in the world, Tendulkar's decision had been widely expected. The diminutive 40-year-old batsman's form has been fading in recent years.

"All my life, I have had a dream of playing cricket for India," said Tendulkar in a statement. "I have been living this dream every day for the last 24 years. It's hard for me to imagine a life without playing cricket because it's all I have ever done since I was 11 years old. It's been a huge honour to have represented my country and played all over the world. I look forward to playing my 200th Test match on home soil, as I call it a day." Indian television and social media immediately went into overdrive, with all channels dropping all other stories, including regular updates on a cyclone approaching the country's eastern coast, to run special programming. In markets across India, people clustered around televisions. "He will be very much missed in India. He is our super master blaster. Nobody is playing like him. I am in fact very sad," said Amit Lal, an electronics dealer in south Delhi's Nehru Place.

Tendulkar, who made his Test debut at the age of 16, is the most prolific batsman in international cricket history with 15,837 runs in 198 Tests and 18,426 runs in 463 one-day internationals over a 23-year career. He also holds the record for most centuries in Tests (51) and ODIs (49). He retired from one-day internationals in December 2012 . Sourav Ganguly, a former captain of India, said Tendulkar had made a "fantastic decision". "He had all the shots in the book but what was striking was his hunger for the game, not just the talent he was born with but what he did with that talent," Ganguly told the NDTV news channel.

In his statement, Tendulkar, who lives in the Indian commercial capital of Mumbai with his wife and two children, thanked Indian cricketing authorities for "permitting me to move on when my heart feels it's time!" Forbes, the business magazine, lists Tendulkar as the world's 51st highest paid sportsperson with an income of more than $20m this year from sponsorship deals and winnings. Idolised by hundreds of millions, Tendulkar has received a series of national honours and was the first Indian sportsman to be nominated to the Rajya Sabha, the national assembly's upper house. Sachin Tendulkar | India Cricket | Cricket Players and Officials | ESPN Cricinfo February 23-25, 1988 A monster in the making Sachin Tendulkar, 14, and Vinod Kambli, 16 compile a 664-run unbroken partnership for Shardashram Vidyamandir against St Xavier's at Azad Maidan. Kambli makes 349 not out, Tendulkar 326 not out.

It remains the highest partnership recorded in any form of cricket, until in November 2006 two schoolboys from Hyderabad - Manoj Kumar and Mohammad Shaibaz - overtake the record with an unbeaten 721-run partnership. December 11, 1988 Truly first-class debut At 15, scores an unbeaten century against Gujarat at the Wankhede Stadium to become the youngest Indian to make a hundred on first-class debut. Was picked after Bombay captain Dilip Vengsarkar watched him negotiate Kapil Dev in the nets. December 14, 1989 Bloody-minded to start with On the last day of the last Test of his first Test series, in Sialkot, gets hit on the nose by Waqar Younis - also in his first series. Falls down, gets up, and wipes away the gushing blood. Medical assistance is declined. Is eventually out for 57.

« Prev Showing 2 of 17 Next » November 27-28, 1992 Thousand reasons to cheer At 19 years and 217 days, becomes the youngest player to reach 1000 Test runs, during his 111 out of India's 227 in Johannesburg. February 11-12, 1993 Mad in Madras Scores his first Test century at home. Hits 24 fours and a six in his 165 against England, as India win by an innings and 22 runs. November 24, 1993 Golden arm is unveiled With South Africa needing six runs to win off the last over of their Hero Cup semi-final against India, bowls a sensational over, giving them just three, and India victory. « Prev Showing 3 of 17 Next » March 27, 1994 Opens a can of worms Opens in an ODI for the first time - against New Zealand. Goes on to make 82 off 49 balls.

October, 1995 Commercial worth Signs a five-year contract worth Rs 31.5 crore with WorldTel, which makes him the richest cricketer in the world. February-March, 1996 His World Cup With 523 runs at 87.16, is the highest scorer in the World Cup held in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Scores two centuries and three half-centuries. « Prev Showing 4 of 17 Next » August 8, 1996 Is named captain of the Indian team, at age 23. January 2, 1998 End of captaincy, part I Is sacked from the captaincy after a 15-month tenure during which India won three out of 17 Tests. February-March, 1998 His finest series Gets his maiden first-class double-hundred and two hundreds and a fifty in three Tests against Australia. India win the home-series 2-1.

« Prev Showing 5 of 17 Next » April 22-24, 1998 Desert Storm Scores two blazing, back-to-back hundreds against Australia at Sharjah to help India reach the final and then win it. January 30-31, 1999 His greatest innings... almost Makes 136 chasing 271 in Chennai against Pakistan with an injured back. Gets out with 17 runs to get; India fall short by 13. July 28, 1999 Captaincy, part II Is reappointed captain - without his consent - after India, under Mohammad Azharuddin, fail to reach the semifinals of the World Cup in England. « Prev Showing 6 of 17 Next » March 20, 2001 A thorn in Aussie flesh Scores a century in a famous decider of a famous series, against Australia. India win 2-1, denying Australia the "final frontier".

March 31, 2001 The road less traveled Becomes the first player to score 10,000 runs in one-day cricket in the course of his 139 against Australia in Indore. November 19, 2001 Ball-tampering? Is cautioned and fined by match referee Mike Denness for trying to "change the condition of the ball" during the Port Elizabeth Test. The resulting outcry in India and the impasse between the Indian board and the ICC leads the latter to review the jurisdiction of match referees. « Prev Showing 7 of 17 Next » December 21, 2001 Caught out of his crease Is tied down by the over-the-stumps tactics of Ashley Giles in Bangalore, and is stumped for the first time in his Test career. It also highlights the start of his discomfort against left-arm spinners. August 22-23, 2002 Move over, Sir Don Overtakes Don Bradman's tally of 29 Test centuries, misses double-century by seven at Headingley, but India win by an innings and 46 runs.

February-March, 2003 His World Cup, part II Scores 673 runs at 61.18 in the World Cup, taking India to within a win of the world crown. His 98 against Pakistan in an exceptionally anticipated match is one of the best knocks played by Indians at World Cups. Even though Australia are the champions, he is named the Man of the Series. « Prev Showing 8 of 17 Next » August, 2003 Privilege, what privilege? Draws flak for a duty waiver on the Ferrari 360 Modena, which is gifted to him by the Fiat group on his passing Bradman's mark of 29 Test centuries. Finally offers to pay the $245,000 duty, which is covered for by Fiat. January2-4, 2004 Economy over style Scores a century without a cover-drive, goes on to get an unbeaten 241 in Sydney, and rates it the best among his centuries. Australia manage to hold on for a draw, and the series ends 1-1. March 28-29, 2004 Robbed of a double?

Scores an unbeaten 194 in Sehwag's Multan Test. Later says he was surprised the Indian team declared with him so close to the double-century. « Prev Showing 9 of 17 Next » August, 2004 Cost of playing catches up Tennis elbow surfaces, during the Videocon Cup in Holland. Misses the Champions Trophy in England, and then the first two home Tests against Australia. March 16, 2005 Ten thousand, twice over Becomes the fifth man to score 10,000 Test runs in course of his 52 against Pakistan in Kolkata. India win the match by 195 runs. May, 2005 Tennis elbow refuses to go away Goes for the surgery for the tennis elbow, misses a triangular in Sri Lanka, a tour to Zimbabwe, and the Super Series in Australia. « Prev Showing 10 of 17 Next » October 25, 2005 Back, and how Makes a roaring return to international cricket, with a 93 off 96 balls against Sri Lanka in Nagpur, in India's 350 for 6.

December 10, 2005 Sunny days In scoring 109 against Sri Lanka in Delhi, becomes the highest centurion in Test cricket, overtaking Sunil Gavaskar's 34. March 19, 2006 Home crowd turns hostile Struggles for 1 run in 33 minutes against England in Mumbai, and after he is dismissed, he is booed off the ground by his home crowd. « Prev Showing 11 of 17 Next » March, 2006 Tryst with the knife Goes to England for surgery on his right shoulder. Misses the one-dayers against England and the tour to West Indies. September 14, 2006 Back and how, part II Makes a stunning comeback, with 141 off 148 balls against West Indies in a DLF Cup ODI in Kuala Lumpur. India lose the match by D/L method. May, 2007 Unwanted rest Is "rested" for the first time in his career, for the three-ODI series in Bangladesh. Scores two centuries in the two following Tests.

« Prev Showing 12 of 17 Next » August, 2007 Finally, a win outside subcontinent With 228 runs at 38.00, makes a significant contribution to his first Test-series win outside the subcontinent, as India beat England 1-0 to win the Pataudi Trophy. January 4, 2008 Sachin Cricket Ground At an SCG full of worshippers, scores a sublime unbeaten 154, his first century in more than two years and 19 Tests, against opposition other than Bangladesh. March 2, 2008 Sachin Cricket Ground, Part II Scores his first ODI century in Australia, in first of the CB Series final. The innings is the foundation India build their first tri-series in Australia on. « Prev Showing 13 of 17 Next » October 17, 2008 Scaling the summit At 2.31pm on a hot Mohali Friday, Tendulkar steers debutant Peter Siddle towards the third-man boundary for three runs to break Brian Lara's record for most Test runs.

November 5, 2009 Solo again Crosses 17,000 ODI runs during his 175 off 141 balls in a run-chase of 351 against Australia in Hyderabad . It is a chanceless innings that ends 19 runs short of the target, but India choke after his wicket and lose. February 24, 2010 The 200 barrier falls A stunning display in Gwalior makes Tendulkar the first male player to score 200 in a single innings in a one-day international. It comes off just 147 deliveries, powering India to 401 and a comfortable 153-run win against South Africa. « Prev Showing 14 of 17 Next » October 2010 Awards and rankings Tendulkar wins his first ICC award , the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, by being named the Cricketer of the Year during the 2010 ICC Award ceremony in Bangalore. A week later he reclaims top spot in the ICC Test rankings for batsmen for the first time since 2002.

He is also named in ESPNcricinfo's all-time Test World XI , the only presently active player to make the team. December 19, 2010 A half-century of Test centuries With India battling to save a Test, Tendulkar bats serenely against a difficult South African attack in Centurion to become the first man to score 50 Test hundreds. Feb 19 - Apr 2, 2011 World Cup glory, at last After five unsuccessful attempts, Tendulkar finally gets his hands on the World Cup trophy as India win the tournament in style. He contributes handsomely to the win, scoring hundreds against England and South Africa, 85 in the semi-final against Pakistan, and is the second-highest run-getter in the tournament with 482 at an average of 53.55. During the course the tournament, he also becomes the first batsman to score 2000 runs and six centuries in World Cup matches.

« Prev Showing 15 of 17 Next » March 16, 2012 Century of centuries Finally, 34 innings and more than a year after scoring his 99th international hundred, Tendulkar reaches the landmark that might never be equalled, scoring 114 in an Asia Cup match against Bangladesh in Mirpur. December 23, 2012 Goodbye to ODIs After playing 463 one-day internationals, Tendulkar announces his retirement from the format, just before the squad is announced for the home series against Pakistan. Tendulkar finishes with 18,426 ODI runs and 49 hundreds, well clear of any other batsman. October 10, 2013 Goodbye to Tests Having played 198 Tests, Tendulkar announces his retirement from his only active international format. With two Tests coming up against West Indies, he says his 200th Test will be his last.

« Prev Showing 16 of 17 Next » November 16, 2013 The last day An emotional India bids farewell to Tendulkar on his home ground at the Wankhede Stadium, as West Indies lose the Test in seven sessions. It's Tendulkar's 200th Test, and a 24-year-old romance comes to an end.

Question: In what year did Sachin Tendulkar formally retire from playing cricket?
Answer: 2013