Death, taxes and a Sachin Tendulkar special were the three constants for an Indian from the 1990s to 2010. “Sachin kitne pe hain yaar” was the question often asked rather than India’s score. The refreshing approach he showed towards batting, especially in limited-overs cricket, even as a 16-year-old hitting a 17-ball 53 in an exhibition match in Peshawar, had the fans hooked for all the 463 appearances he made for India.
“I showed I could play a few shots and generate power for a guy who doesn’t have a big frame and earned an ODI spot for myself,” is his modest assessment of his heroics against Abdul Qadir, Wasim Akram and Mushtaq Ahmed, in what could be the first Twenty20 game ever played, as rain ruled out a full international match and because of the huge crowd presence, India and Pakistan decided to play an exhibition match of 20 overs per innings.
