Sachin Tendulkar, regarded as the greatest batsman in cricket, today called it quits from Test cricket, announcing his retirement after his 200th match against the West Indies next month, bringing the curtains down on an extraordinary career spanning a marathon 24 years.
Here are few quotes by some famous cricketers on him:
1. “I have seen God, he bats at no. 4 for India” – Matthew Hayden
2. I saw him playing on television and was struck by his technique, so I asked my wife to come look at him. Now I never saw myself play, but I felt that this player is playing with a style similar to mine, and she looked at him on Television and said yes, there is a similarity between the two…his compactness, technique, stroke production – it all seemed to gel! – Sir Donald Bradman
3. “We did not lose to a team called India. We lost to a man called Sachin” – Mark Taylor, during the test match in Chennai (1997)
4. “I am fortunate that I’ve to bowl at him only in the nets!” – Anil Kumble
5. I don’t know cricket..i don’t know how Sachin plays..But i still try to watch him playing…B’coz i want to know the reason why my country’s economy goes 0.5% down when he is batting.. – Barack Obama tweet about Sachin
6. “India me aap Prime Minister ko ek baar katghare me khada kar sakte hain. Par Sachin Tendulkar par ungli nahi utha Sakte.” – Navjot Singh Sidhu
7. Harder he works, the luckier he gets – Ian Chappell
8. I’ll be going to bed having nightmares of Sachin just running down the wicket and belting me back over the head for six. He was unstoppable. I don’t think anyone, apart from Don Bradman, is in the same class as Sachin Tendulkar. He is just an amazing player – Shane Warne
9. I think he is marvellous. I think he will fit in whatever category of Cricket that has been played or will be played, from the first ball that has ever been bowled to the last ball that’s going to be. He can play in any era and at any level. I would say he’s 99.5% perfect – Viv Richards on Sachin Tendulkar
10. Beneath the helmet, under that unruly curly hair, inside the cranium, there is something we don’t know, something beyond scientific measure. Something that allows him to soar, to roam a territory of sport that, forget us, even those who are gifted enough to play alongside him cannot even fathom. When he goes out to bat, people switch on their television sets and switch off their lives – BBC Sports, on Sachin Tendulkar
11. “On a train from Shimla to Delhi, there was a halt in one of the stations. The train stopped by for few minutes as usual. Sachin was nearing century, batting on 98. The passengers, railway officials, everyone on the train waited for Sachin to complete the century. This Genius can stop time in India!” – Peter Roebuck
12. He is a perfectly balanced batsman and knows perfectly well when to attack and when to play defensive cricket. He has developed the ability to treat bowlers all over the world with contempt and can destroy any attack with utmost ease – Greg Chappell
Source: Motivational Quotes
13. He has defined cricket in his fabulous, impeccable manner. He is to batting what Shane Warne is to bowling – Richie Benaud
14. India’s fortune will depend on how many runs the little champion scores. There is no doubt Tendulkar is the real thing – Sunil Gavaskar
15. “There are 2 kind of batsmen in the world. One Sachin Tendulkar. Two all the others” – Andy Flower
16. “Sachin Tendulkar has often reminded me of a veteran army colonel who has many medals on his chest to show how he has conquered bowlers all over the world” – Allan Donald
17. Actually, I have one particular spot in the house from where I can watch TV and also keep an eye on my Ganpati (Ganesha). I don’t eat. I don’t answer phones. I don’t drink. I don’t even move. I don’t reply to any sms until he’s out – Anjali Tendulkar’s routine when her husband is at the batting crease.
18. If I’ve to bowl to Sachin, I’ll bowl with my helmet on. He hits the ball so hard – Dennis Lillee
19. Sachin is a genius. I’m a mere mortal – Brian Lara
20. When you bowl at him you are not just trying to get him out, you are trying to impress him. “I want him to walk off thinking ‘that Flintoff, he’s all right isn’t he? I feel privileged to have played against him – Andrew Flintoff
21. Don’t bowl bad balls he hits the good ones for fours – Michael Kasprowicz
22. We had gone to see the movie Roja. I was studying medicine then and a couple of my friends planned. Sachin did try telling me that it would be difficult but I insisted that he come along. To make sure nobody recognized him we even got him a beard. He wore specs as well and we went in late. We watched the first half of the film. But during the interval, Sachin dropped his specs and people immediately recognised him. It was a bit of disaster and we were forced to leave halfway – Anjali Tendulkar couldn’t watch the second half of the movie with her better half.
23. What we need is 10 Tendulkars – Paul Strang
24. Today, he showed the world why he is considered the best batsman around. Some of the shots he played were simply amazing. Earlier, opposing teams used to feel that Sachin’s dismissal meant they could win the game. Today, I feel that the Indian players, too, feel this way – Wasim Akram
25. You might pitch a ball on the off stump and think you have bowled a good ball and he walks across and hits it for two behind midwicket. His bat looks so heavy but he just waves it around like it’s a toothpick. – Brett Lee
26. I was fielding in the covers when Tendulkar came out to bat in his debut Test at Karachi. I still remember Waqar Younis was in peak form at that time. Tendulkar tried to drive Waqar through the covers off his very first ball in Test cricket but was beaten all ends up. But I walked to captain Imran Khan and told him ‘this kid looks very good’ and Imran agreed with me – Abdul Qadir
27. He has been in form longer than some of our guys have been alive – Daniel Vettori
28. I have joked before that there is a good chance that I might retire before Tendulkar – Mahendra Singh Dhoni
29. Commit all your crimes when Sachin is batting. They will go unnoticed because even the Lord is watching – From a fan at the SCG
30. To me he will not just be remembered as a great player and a lovely human being, but as somebody who tried to learn Bengali for the last 14 years but never managed to do so! – Sourav Ganguly
31. Nothing bad can happen to us if we’re on a plane in India with Sachin Tendulkar on it – Hashim Amla
32. Sachin was so focused. He never looked like getting out. He was batting with single-minded devotion. It was truly remarkable. It was a lesson – Martina Navratilova
33. Technically, you can’t fault Sachin. Seam or spin, fast or slow nothing is a problem – Geoffrey Boycott
34. I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing us to breathe the same air as you do – Shahrukh Khan
35. The archives recall not one single incriminating incident, not one drunken escapade, not one reported affair, not one spat with a team-mate or reporter … As Matthew Parris wondered of Barack Obama in these pages recently, is he human? – Michael Atherton
36. With Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara, it was better to be friends and make them smile rather than wind them up – Shane Warne
37. The thing I admire most about this man is his poise. The way he moves, elegantly without ever looking out of place in any condition or company, suggests his pedigree – Bishan Singh Bedi
38. Playing in the same team as Sachin is a huge honour. His balance of mind, shrewd judgment, modesty and, above all, his technical brilliance make him my all-time hero. You can’t get a more complete cricketer than Sachin. He has everything that a cricketer needs to have – Rahul Dravid
39. The thing I like the most about Sachin is his intensity. After being in the game for so long, he still has the same desire to do well for India in any international match. I tell you what, this man is a legend. – Sourav Ganguly
40. Test cricket is bloody hard work, especially when you’ve got Sachin batting with what looks like a three-metre-wide bat – Michael Hussey
41. You can never say that he is out of form. He is a volcano waiting to explode and we hope he doesn’t do that against us in the one-dayers – Daryl Tuffey
42. I think you are at the wrong press conference – Sachin Tendulkar when asked about retirement
43. Sachin is cricket’s God – Barry Richards
44. We have started calling him grandfather – Yuvraj Singh
45. Tendulkar is a world class player and a great ambassador for the game. As a youngster I watched the games and that’s where all my dreams started. You watch Tendulkar on TV and you think that I want to be like that one day – Graeme Smith
46. Putting Sachin Tendulkar’s latest feat in a strictly cricketing context would not be fair to the sportsman. His achievements in the world of cricket need to be seen on a par with efforts in any other field – science, art, literature, etc – to push the frontiers of human excellence – Pakistan daily ‘Dawn’
47. The more I see of him the more confused I’m getting to which is his best knock – ML Jaisimha
48. I’ll see god when I die but till then I’ll see Sachin – From a fan in Sharjah
49. He can play that leg glance with a walking stick also – Waqar Younis
50. In an over I can bowl six different balls. But then Sachin looks at me with a sort of gentle arrogance down the pitch as if to say,’Can you bowl me another one?’ – Adam Hollioake
51. I have delayed my shoots many times to watch Sachin bat – Amitabh Bachchan
52. What I admire about Sachin is his humility, respect for elders and the passion for the game that he has retained even after so many years and after achieving so much in cricket. He has not changed at all – Dilip Vengsarkar
53. The joy he brings to the millions of his countrymen, the grace with which he handles all the adulation and the expectations and his innate humility – all make for a one-in-a-billion individual – Glenn McGrath
54. I had to remind Gary Kristen often that he was in the covers to field against Sachin not to applaud him- Hansie Cronje
55. I never coached Sachin Tendulkar, I gave him gentle advice when he asked for it – John Wright
56. His humbleness and simplicity has helped him to achieve what others could not. His dedication is one of the main reasons for his achievements and he is role model to up and coming youngsters. In India, every youngster who is in to school or college cricket wants to become a Sachin – Krishnamachari Srikkanth
57. He continues to give more than 100 per cent and his schoolboy-like enthusiasm for the game is something I envy and admire. For the team he is the best available coaching manual – Mahendra Singh Dhoni
58. The pressure on me is nothing compared to Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin, like God, must never fail. The crowd always expects him to succeed and it is too much pressure on him. But, he rarely disappoints them – Mark Waugh
59. I never get tired when Sachin is at the crease – Umpire Rudi Koertzen
60. “When Sachin Tendulkar travelled to Pakistan to face one of the finest bowling attacks ever assembled in cricket, Michael Schumacher was yet to race a F1 car, Lance Armstrong had never been to the Tour de France, Diego Maradona was still the captain of a world champion Argentina team, Pete Sampras had never won a Grand Slam. When Tendulkar embarked on a glorious career taming Imran and company, Roger Federer was a name unheard of; Lionel Messi was in his nappies, Usain Bolt was an unknown kid in the Jamaican backwaters. The Berlin Wall was still intact, USSR was one big, big country, Dr Manmohan Singh was yet to “open” the Nehruvian economy. It seems while Time was having his toll on every individual on the face of this planet, he excused one man. Time stands frozen in front of Sachin Tendulkar. We have had champions, we have had legends, but we have never had another Sachin Tendulkar and we never will – Time Magazine
61. I dont know what to bowl at him. I bowled an inswinger and he drove me through covers of the front foot. Then I bowled an outswinger and he again punched through covers of the backfoot. He is the toughest batsmen I’ve bowled to. He should live long and score lots of runs, but not against Pakistan – Wasim Akram
62. In terms of technique and compactness, Sachin Tendulkar is the best – Desmond Haynes
63. Technically he stands out as the best because of his ability to increase the pace at will – David Boon
64. This was expected. This is one of the finest achievements in cricket history. It is a fantastic performance by Sachin. Records do not matter to him. He will keep playing and records will follow him – Chandu Borde after Sachin completed his 50th Test ton
65. It was clear to us even when he walked out to bat in that Test as a teenager that he had talent. The fact that he has been around for 21 years and done justice to that god gifted talent in both forms of the game is an achievement any cricketer would be proud off. It will be difficult for anyone to break his record – Javed Miandad after Tendulkar scored his 50th Test ton
66. I think it is just the way he has changed the game overall and his own game because there are so many situations he has faced. He is now competing mostly against himself, like most great cricketers do. I think he has mastered all of them. The only challenge he has is to beat himself every time he walks out there because he has done almost everything – Kumar Sangakkara
67. Sachin Tendulkar is, in my time, the best player without doubt – daylight second, Brian Lara third – Shane Warne
68. He is Sachin Tendulkar. I hope he stays Sachin Tendulkar. We need a new player, a player in his own way. He has a technique which is the hallmark of a great player. Everything indicates that he will be a great player and I am sure he will prove me right. Reminds me of Barry Richards – Eddie Barlow
69. I have watched a lot of Tendulkar and we have spoken to each other a lot. He has it in him to be among the very best – Sir Garfield Sobers
70. Sachin is the greatest player I have seen. I consider it an honour to have rubbed shoulders with him- Brian Lara
71. Sachin Tendulkar is already a ‘Bharat Ratna’ for Indian people because of his phenomenal success and the manner in which he has served Indian cricket for years – Rahul Dravid when asked if Sachin Tendulkar will be given the Bharat Ratna
72. Tendulkar can now rightly lay claim to the title of being the greatest batsman in cricket history. And if some people argue about his greatness then there are certainly no arguments about his being the most prolific, he is a complete run machine and his 50th Test hundred is a testimony of his endurance and passion for the sport – Rashid Latif
73. I don’t open the newspapers (to see what’s written about me). I don’t read them and you can see them hanging at the stand outside my hotel room. I focus on my game only. Last 21 years have been really special for me and I thoroughly enjoyed my joyful journey – Sachin Tendulkar in 2010
74. For me it is a matter of pride that I have been born in the age in which Tendulkar is playing – Sania Mirza
75. Sachin treats me like his mother and I always pray for her like a mother. I can never forget the day when he called me ‘aai’ (mother) for the first time. I had never imagined that. It was pleasant surprise for me and I feel blessed to have a son like him – Lata Mangeshkar
76. Very sorry to disappoint you, guys. It was not for my girlfriend but for Sachin Tendulkar – Yuvraj Singh after India won the 2011 World Cup
77. Couldn’t have asked for more. This is ultimate. It is the proudest moment of my life – Sachin Tendulkar after India won the 2011 World Cup
78. Sachin is the Kohinoor diamond of the game of cricket. This cricketer has unmatched talent and you can’t find another Tendulkar ever – Ajit Wadekar
79. I don’t think any batsman can be better than Tendulkar, not even Bradman. Sachin has succeeded in all the three forms of cricket – Test, one-dayer and Twenty20 – Ajit Wadekar
80. Sachin Tendulkar, the Little Master, is so talented that wherever you’re from, you can’t help but admire him as he hits another century – UK Prime Minister David Cameron
81. Sachin Tendulkar is a guy you don’t want to chat to period, because he will knuckle down – Brett Lee tells you why one must never sledge Sachin Tendulkar
82. It is an amazing achievement to play for the country for over two decades and still continue to be the team’s anchor. Sachin makes all of us so very proud – India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
83. He must be the most singlehanded devotee cricket has ever seen. Cricket has taken up so much of his life that at times you would wonder what is he going to do once he gives up the game – Greg Chappell
84. Sachin is the greatest role model I’ve ever met – Gary Kirsten
85. It will be bad if I don’t share this with Rayudu – Sachin Tendulkar before giving his cash award to Ambati Rayudu
86. I am a Maharashtrian and I am extremely proud of that. But I am an Indian first. And Mumbai belongs to all Indians – Sachin Tendulkar
87. He has reached the pinnacle of his cricketing career and I am sure his hunger for runs is still there. He has been achieving milestones, one after another, and it is beyond any cricketer’s calibre to match Sachin’s feat – Syed Kirmani
88. When we used to play, we thought no one can break Sunil Gavaskar’s record. No one could think about 50 Test centuries at that time. This is certainly a big knock under the circumstances, better than the 200s and 300s – Kapil Dev after Sachin Tendulkar scored his 50th Test hundred
89. Well, it’s such a record that you can only compare it with Bob Beamon’s long-jump world record set in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico. At that time it seemed that it would never be broken. Tendulkar’s 50 Test centuries is one such records which doesn’t look like being surpassed – Sunil Gavaskar after Sachin Tendulkar scored his 50th Test hundred
90. Every run that comes off Sachin’s blade is a record. He has shown the world how to perform under pressure – Sharad Pawar congratulates Sachin Tendulkar on scoring his 50th Test ton