A trivia on Sachin

He came, he saw and he conquered not just the cricket field but also a million hearts of fans who pray for him every time is on the field. The biggest legend of cricket Sir Don Bradman himself felt that Sachin Tendulkar> plays like him and his fan following includes masters of the game like Sunil Gavaskar, Brian Lara and Kapil Dev. Following are some of the unique and interesting facts about the gifted man who is regarded as one of the best players the game of cricket has ever produced.

1. Cricket has always been Tendulkar’s passion. His parents taught him the importance of leading a life of honor and grace. His childhood dream was to wear the Indian cap and play for India. All his dreams have come true as he has become a legend every Indian is proud of.
2. He started playing cricket at an age of seven when he was gifted a cricket bat by his elder sister. She got him the bat from Kashmir and he used it until it broke.
3. His late father, Ramesh Tendulkar was never a cricket fan himself. But he always knew Sachin’s potential and encouraged him to play cricket. Like a great father, he advised his son against any short cuts and told him to keep playing, despite the ups and downs that may come on the way.
4. In his childhood days, Sachin was a huge admirer of John McEnroe. He was called ‘Mac’ by his friends as he used to style himself like his childhood hero. Like McEnroe, he grew his hair long and made his father buy him headbands and sweatbands similar to that of John McEnroe.
5. Sachin himself has revealed that as a kid, he was very naughty and difficult to handle. His nanny would run after him all day as he never wanted to go home.
6. Initially, Sachin wanted to be Tennis player. At the time he started playing cricket he had aspirations of becoming a fast bowler but his height was a major hindrance in that. It was then that he decided to take batting seriously.
7. Sachin’s astonishing voyage to cricket began when his brother Ajit Tendulkar took him to meet Mr. Ramakant Achrekar, a cricket coach. At first, Tendulkar’s batting performance failed to impress but Mr. Achrekar gave Sachin another chance on his brother’s insistence. Both, Ajit Tendulkar and Ramakant Achrekar are seen as guiding forces that helped Sachin in shaping up his career.
8. The legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar gave Sachin a pair of pads during his school days. In 1989, he made his test debut against Pakistan wearing the same pair of pads.
9. Like other cricketers, Sachin is also a little superstitious. While getting padded up for batting, he would always put on his left pad first
10. He was the first cricketer to be honored with ‘Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna’ award. This is the highest honor in the field of sports. Other than Sachin, Dhoni is the only cricketer who has been conferred with this honor. Sachin and Vishwanathan Anand are the only sportspersons who have been honored Padma Vibhushan which is the 2nd highest civilian award of India. There are strong demands that Sachin should be honored with Bharat Ratna which is the highest civilian award of India.
11. Tendulkar has also made a special appearance in a Bollywood movie. He was seen playing himself in a movie titled ‘Stumped’ that was released in 2003.
12. When asked about his dream woman, Sachin instantly replied, ‘my wife’. He sees family as his greatest influence.