Opinionate

So the dreaded day has come and gone. Tributes have been authored, paeans have been composed, tears have been shed. Legends have been queuing up to wax eloquent about his/her favorite Sachin Tendulkar memory. The man himself has delivered a heart-rending account of his '24 years between 22 yards'. Generally, most legends have an air of aloofness about them; they seem distant, almost haughty. However, with Tendulkar, there is no aura, no mystique. He, simply, is a part of our lives as much as cricket is a part of his. For twenty-four memorable years, he enriched the nation's lives; and I was there for eighteen of those. Unfortunately, I wasn't much of a cricket fan in my early years, and I missed what is claimed by many to be his finest years (although repeat telecasts have softened that blow somewhat). Yet, here is my attempt at an account of my tryst with Tendulkar: 2001: The initial impressions After completing 10,000 ODI runs It's funny how I