Sachin Tendulkar, who plays his 200th and final Test on Thursday, is widely
regarded by his cricketing peers as the greatest batsman since the
Australian legend Donald Bradman.
Sachin Tendulkar retired from international cricket after playing his 200th and final Test.
The Master Blaster gave an emotional speech that had everyone in tears at the Wankhede Stadium. Here is the full text of his speech:
Full Speech
Here are a selection of quotes on the man dubbed the 'Little Master':
Donald Bradman: "I saw him playing on the television and I was very,
very struck by his technique. I asked my wife to come and have a look at
him. Because, I said, I never saw myself play, but I feel that this feller
is playing much the same as I used to play... It was just his compactness,
his stroke production, his technique, it all seemed to gel as far as I was
concerned."
Shane Warne: "Sachin Tendulkar is, in my time, the best player without
a doubt - daylight second, Brian Lara third."
Viv Richards: "He has been a genius when it comes to ability, a Trojan
when it comes to work ethic and manic when it comes to his focus."
Rahul Dravid: "What he has done is set a benchmark for future
generations which, probably, would be almost impossible for anyone to
emulate."
Brian Lara: "Sachin is a genius. I'm a mere mortal. When I speak about
cricket, I will speak about Tendulkar. Just like you mention Mohammad Ali
when you mention boxing and Michael Jordan when it comes to basketball."
Anil Kumble: "I am fortunate that I've to bowl at him only in the
nets."
Mahendra Singh Dhoni: "His schoolboy-like enthusiasm for the game is
something I envy and admire. For the team he is the best available coaching
manual."
Andy Flower: "There are two kind of batsmen in the world. One, Sachin
Tendulkar. Two, all the others."
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan: "I would like to thank you from the
bottom of my heart for allowing us to breathe the same air as you do."
Barack Obama: "I don't know about cricket but still I watch cricket to see Sachin
play..Not because I love his play its because I want to know the reason
why my country's production goes down by 5 percent when he's in batting."
Matthew Hayden: "I have seen God. He bats at number four for India."
