Sportstar invited Sachin Tendulkar’s biggest fans to pen a personal note to him ahead of his 50th birthday. The warmest entries we received are being published underneath, in no particular order, and stand to win exciting prizes.
The best 50 messages will also be published in the upcoming issue of the magazine!
John Kuruvilla
The world stood in wonder when the teenager with a pencil moustache started blasting centuries with his willow in the international cricketing arena nearly three and a half decades back, a time when India was in the cusp of sporting resurgence. Then started the saga of a brilliant cricketing legend who, by total dedication and sheer dint of hard work, reached hitherto unheard of highs of batting glory and set records that no aspiring scions of this field can ever dream of obliterating. Brought up in the mofussil precincts of the mega city of Mumbai, along with playmate Vinod Kambli, he single-handedly popularised this erstwhile white-flannelled Englishman game in the Indian sub-continent and made it a heady religion.
Ayan Biswas
If cricket is a body, Tendulkar is the soul. He was the reason why I started to watch cricket. Till my Matriculation exam we did not have any television, but I heard that a 16-year-old lad became the sword of Damocles to the hazardous Pakistani bowlers. I wish you can celebrate your 100th birthday with this energy.
Mili Sudhesh
Your induction into the national cricket team at the age of 16 showcased your capability and prowess. It was your total dedication to cricket along with will power and grit that enabled you to play cricket for more than two decades, while breaking and creating many batting records in your illustrious career. You were a perfect team member. You stepped down as captain, without any egos, and you even agreed to play under junior captains and contributed immensely. Thus proving that team achievements are more important than personal goals.
Ramalingam V
Tendulkar is the jewel in India’s crown. He inspired even the diamond merchants who had gathered from far flung places such as Autwerp, London and Mumbai to watch international fixtures hosted by Nicky Oppenheimer, the chairman of De Beers and various other companies dealing in diamonds. They may have been weighing his carat, cut and clarity before they came to the conclusion that here in India there is another rare gem.
Shankar Ramachandran
For cricket lovers of certain vintage like me, 90s was an era, when ‘God’ himself descended on Earth. For an entertainment-starved nation, India winning the World Cup in 1983 and the subsequent World Championship of Cricket in 1985 were just the sort of epochal events that got etched in my memory for all times to come. While all of the above was happening and when Indians were asking for more, a cherubic-faced child prodigy burst on to the scene in 1989 in Pakistan. That was the start of the everlasting love between the Indians and the ‘God of Cricket’.
Sachin Tendulkar cuts a cake ahead of his 50th birthday at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. | Photo Credit: ANI
Srinivasan Krishnan
From being a child prodigy to attaining the Bharat Ratna, Sachin guarded not just the crease but also a billion hopes of a country! Born as a mortal, he became immortal.
Kushagra Mishra
His career is the pinnacle of the sporting world, festooned by extraordinary temperament, unflinching grit and delicate batting craftsmanship, whether it’s the paddle sweep to beat the fielder at deep fine leg or the upper cut over the keeper’s head that was used with precision against bouncers. Even though his tennis elbow injury restricted certain movements, he managed to reinvent his batting with a positive intent. He is an example of excellence, the North Star of modern day cricket.
Amanya Kapur
I truly agreed with Mathew Hayden when he said — “If cricket is a religion, Sachin is a God”. You are our country’s pride. I have been watching you since I was seven. Your passion towards cricket and playing for India has influenced and encouraged me to follow my dreams. I respect you a lot and always will. I hope that I can meet you someday and learn more about your journey. I wish that I could become a great person like you and have an ambitious personality like yours.
Ishaya Kumar
There came a man with a willow in his hand who wielded it like a magic wand on a 22-yard-long pitch for more than two decades to earn the sobriquet — ‘God of Cricket’. You have always been a light to the globe, that has not only helped us win in cricket but also changed the way the world looked at India. Several schools have begun and promoted sports alongside academics as a result of you. I aspire to be just like you.
Ananya Rajan
Watching my dad scream ‘Sachin, Sachin’ and shake his head while watching countless reruns of your matches on TV has made me realise what you mean to our cricket-crazy nation. Each swing of your bat and century that you scored sparked the love for cricket among generations of Indians. My school has the biggest cricket ground in Delhi, and to hear our coach motivate each player to be the ‘next Sachin’ is heart-warming. But as they say, there will be only one Sachin, so I am wishing you a happy 50th and loads of good health.
Kolluru Raju
Sachin stands as a testimony for the great personality of the game of cricket. He can be called as the true prodigy of the gentleman’s game. Other than being a legendary batsman, Sachin is known for his humility as well as his grit and determination. Because of which he is a true source of inspiration for millions of cricket lovers around the world. It is said that bowlers used to be anxious to bowl to Sachin Tendulkar not just because of his talent and proficiency but also because of the kind of respect they had for him as a person. The most remembered innings of Sachin Tendulkar was the Sharjah ODI where he scored 134 runs and ultimately helped India single-handedly win the Cup. This day was also a special day for him because it was his birthday.
Aditya Ranjan Sharma
Along with your birthday, my love affair with cricket too has reached 50 milestone years. From wanting that MRF bat on every birthday of mine to shedding tears on your retirement, you always reminded me of a young boy in the team who became a legend with time. In all these years, I learned a lot from your luminous personality — especially whenever you got dismissed at 99, when we the fans became unhappy your smile filled our lives with a triumphant feeling. Even today your birthday does the same.
Kiran Narendran
I always longed for a time machine! Not for me, of course. If there was one, it could’ve helped Sachin go back to 1st March, 2003, and score those two runs against Pakistan to make the best ever World Cup innings truly complete. Sachin, thanks for playing during my lifetime and illuminating my childhood, teenage and youth. Bat up for the fifty, but the innings has just started.
Antony Chalissery
Truly a Bharat Ratna, Sachin is a rare breed. Whenever he scored a century, he looked up to the sky raising his bat and thanking God, while remembering his father and other mentors. Even at the peak of being a celebrity, he was a docile and down-to-earth person converging into uniqueness, the one and only. While completing half a century in his life innings, I wish the Master Blaster longevity and prosperity.
Harshad Rajadhyaksha
I was in school and hated Chemistry and lost a tug of war game and took my bleeding hands home and you batted for me.
I spouted a moustache and spent vacations in Pune with my long-departed grandpa and loved every match you played and you batted for me.
I fell in love and out of love and graduated and looked ahead at my brand new dreams and you batted for me.
I lost my dog and I cried and cried and I gave up non-veg and you batted for me.
I was in office and we friends bonded over you and screamed ourselves hoarse on the streets and fluttered the flag as you ripped through Shoaib and you batted for me.
I got better pay and bought my first car and a new LCD to go and on it too, you batted for me. I saw people lose jobs and not lose hopes and the world was now a far tougher place and you batted for me.
I came back home from some really tiring work and a child in my building called me uncle and I put on the TV and you were there and you batted like I was still in school and like the world had not moved and you batted for me.
Yuvraj Yadav
Happy birthday to the deity whose drives are straight as ‘Arjuna’s Arrow’, upper-cuts sharper than ‘Takemikazuchi’s Sword’, punches as solid as ‘Zeus’s Thunderbolt’ and still calm as ‘Equanimous Buddha’.
Mitul Sinha
I have never seen Don Bradman play live but I can proudly say that I had the privilege of watching Sachin bat. No one else can play the straight drive with the same elegance as the Little Master. I used to collect his Boost stickers and photos of his from all newspapers, be it in any language, just to get them added to my Sachin Dairy.
Deepa
Born with a willow in hand,
Hailed as the GOD of cricket land;
Sportsman par excellence,
Your footwork was your greatest defence;
Genius of the game,
No one could ever match your fame;
An iconic cricketer, a legend of your times,
Your passion and perseverance rang a many victory chimes;
Darling of the masses,
One will forever cherish your centuries in all matches;
Words fall short in praise of you,
Blessed by the hands of God are born only a few;
Wishing you a happy birthday this year,
Hope good luck and peace be with you forever.
In this February 24, 2010 file photo, Sachin Tendulkar celebrates a double century against South Africa in Gwalior. | Photo Credit: PTI
Anurag Asopa
Sir, you have set a strong foundation in the lives of the pre-digital era generation. I value you the most along with my family. I witnessed your journey from Sahitya Sehwas to Perry Cross Road and words can’t describe how each innings of yours has motivated me in my life. I owe my every achievement to you (after the blessings of my parents & family). I am blessed to be a part of Sachin’s Era.
Love Durai
I remember how we used to gather around the television set, eagerly waiting for Sachin to walk out to bat. We would watch in awe as he took on the best bowlers in the world and made them look ordinary. I also remember how we would mimic Sachin’s batting style in the streets, using makeshift cricket bats and tennis balls.
Sachin Tendulkar was more than just a cricketer to us 90s kids. He was a symbol of hope, a source of inspiration, and a legend in every sense of the word.
Yash Pratap
Sachin Sir, with the runs you scored, you took a sledge hammer to conventional pictorial batting, chalking up runs that crackled with a raw primitive power that instantly bewitched the young likes of Yuvraj & Dhoni.
You liberated what it meant to be a classical batsman like Gavaskar (conventional, correct and proper), transforming morose singles into serene drives and flicks that actually converted to fours. In order to do this you abandoned 100 years of artistic refinement.
Your batting conveyed the speed of events, things and life itself in the modern world. Your genius illuminated the world of cricket like a comet; well, it’s still blazing away today.
Brijesh Srivastava
You are not only a blessed cricketer with unparalleled technique and cricketing brain but an institution that helped the Indian cricket ecosystem scale new heights. Your retirement from international cricket was a watershed moment that divided Indian cricket into pre and post-Tendulkar eras.
Arya R Nair
Those straight drives did not just go past the umpire for a boundary, but straight into our hearts. We celebrated your centuries, bit our nails during your 90’s and became dejected during tough times. You always found ways to come back stronger from injuries or a lack of form — the epic 241 at Sydney, a testament to that.
Midhun Menon
I ‘hate’ Sachin Tendulkar to the core. He was the reason I got scoldings from my mother for skipping studies and dad’s beatings for breaking the glass window of my neighbour’s home while practising Sachin’s lofted shot. I nearly missed by 12th board exam because I was waiting for him to score his 10,000th ODI run. I also had to miss an S5 engineering exam because he was playing that Sydney classic in 2004. Finally, he was the reason I cried like a baby on 16th November, 2013. Sachin, ‘I hate you like I love you’.
Ritwika Dhar
The only way I can capture the vast essence, impact and meaning of Sachin in our lives is alphabetically. Achrekar Sir; Billion dreams; Century of centuries; Desert storm; (Tennis) Elbow; Fighter; Gwalior 200; Headingley; Inspiration; Jab Sachin out tv off; Kambli; (Brett) Lee 14; Mumbai; Newlands 169; Old Trafford 1990; (Shivaji) Park; Queen’s Park Oval; Rajni & Ramesh’s son; Sachin Tendulkar Sach is truth, Sach is life, Sach is the answer, Sach is it.
Ashika
We live in a country that breathes and lives cricket where Sachin is the one who lit the atmosphere. He is the true epitome of ‘how to live cricket’. We can never thank enough this ‘Moon’ of ours whose moonlight brightened India on another level.
Jhanvi Langalia
You are my biggest inspiration to become a cricketer. I have seen many matches that you’ve played, every achievement you’ve got, and I’ve hardly seen you fail. You have taught me that an individual is different on and off field. If you win a match, that does not make you great, if you lose a match, that does not define you, either! Thank you for teaching me that success and failures should be equal as failure is not opposite. In fact, it is a part of success.
Gautham Menon
You are the umbilical cord to our childhood. Your centuries were an ecstasy and dismissals a heartbreak. Wishing my ‘CHILDHOOD’ a well-deserved half-century.
Venkateswaran N
You are an epitome of hard work reaping the fruits of success, who never took anything for granted and treated the game above everything else — the innings of 79* for Mumbai against Haryana in 2013 before your final international series, a case in point. The emotion of ‘Sachin, Sachin...’ will always live with us.
Sony Raj
26 needed off one Qadir over,
You were born then;
22 yards of Sialkot, Wasim and Waqar,
You grew up there;
Flies swatted away that night,
Henry Olonga among them;
Short, you aren’t,
Say Ambrose and Walsh;
Not to mention McGrath and Warne,
Or Murali and minnows;
That Shoaib waft over point takes pole position,
Amongst tons and tons of fun;
Keep those coins of Ramakant bhai close,
For real men deal only with real currency;
We rise to one more fifty,
As we did for those countless ones.
‘Sachiiin, Sachiiin’, the cry goes on… and on.
Sachin Tendulkar (Bombay) edges the ball into the gloves of Ehtesham Ali Khan (Hyderabad) off Venkatapathy Raju during a Charminar Challenge Ranji Trophy match at Hyderabad on February 4, 1989. | Photo Credit: THE HINDU ARCHIVES
Barath Selvan
He carried the entire burden of the nation for almost 24 years! The runs he scored, the peak he has achieved, the failures he has gone through, the criticism he faced, the records he has set, and the people he inspired cannot be in the pages of any other cricketer around the world.
Mary Vidhya K
You are the reason behind me falling in love with cricket. You have taught us not to give up, to go beyond boundaries and create milestones. I want to go back in time just to see you playing again. The Indian team is incomplete without you.
Sayantan Dey
The flag bearer of Indian cricket, the hope for a million Indian eyes, whether its Sharjah, Wankhede, Eden or Sydney; the heartstring of this cricket-crazy nation, the silent fighter, the mighty warrior, the humble and the invincible. Watching you bat has been absolutely ambrosial!
Vinu Suraj
He is the closest to perfection. Not sure how he stays that humble even after having carried the whole nation’s expectations for more than two decades. As a tribute to my hero, I got him etched on me as a tattoo. I wish that he lives on forever.
Kembai Srinivasa Rao
Your unique urge of continuous learning to upgrade your style of play to match all evolving formats of cricket inspired many youngsters to learn from you. Even while pursuing the peak of your sports career, yo mentored the next generation of young cricketers. We now see glimpses of your style in many of them.
Sourav Sinha
I remember reading a news article in the 1980s about a wonder kid in Mumbai named Sachin Tendulkar who could be India’s next Sunil Gavaskar. I was waiting for you to be selected in the Indian team; and I didn’t have to wait long as you got selected for the Pakistan tour in 1989. In those days, you used to bat with a helmet that didn’t have a front grille. One of Waqar Younis’ balls reared up dangerously and caught you on the face. You fell with blood all over. The ball had hit your nose and it was a terrible scene. Navjot Sidhu, who was your partner at the other end, later said that you got up with confidence and uttered, Hum khelega (I will play). That’s Sachin Tendulkar!
Usha Krishnamurthy
S - Simple
A - Adorable
C - Charismatic
H - Hardworking
I - Inspiring
N - Noble
That is SACHIN.
Vishal Akre
It is hard to achieve success. But it is much harder to sustain success. Your feet were always on the ground even when your fame was touching the sky. It is a privilege for me to be born in your ‘Generation, City and Country’. On this special day, I wish happiness to always flourish in your life as abundantly as the runs you scored while all your sorrows get bowled out.
Deivanayagam Subramanian
S - SIMPLE
A - ADMIRABLE
C - CRICKETER
H - HUMBLE
I - INDIAN
N - NATIVE
T - TERRIFIC
E - ELEGANT
N - NATURAL
D - DARING
U - UNIQUE
L - LOVELY
K - KNOCKING
A - AGGRESSIVE
R - RAREST
Chaitanya Tatya
May 8, 2017: The 12th board results were announced and I was to appear again next year.
Struggling to even pass the Science course, I was hopeless about my future. Same day, I went to see Sachin: A Billion Dreams. and I experienced a roller coaster of emotions. I am a small-town boy, chasing his dreams bit by bit. I dont know what God is, but Sachin Tendulkar has shown me the right direction every time I’ve hit my lowest.
I’ve come miles, and have more to go. I wish the same for him!
Kalpesh Bamboli
I used to think that you don’t age. But you do. You don’t even play cricket anymore. Which means, I’m not a child anymore. In fact, cricket is not cricket anymore. It’s a sport now. I don’t get goosebumps when I see a cover-drive now. I don’t embarrass myself by screaming when a batsman scores a century. I don’t get upset when I miss a match now. I don’t think I’ll wake up at 4:00 am just to watch a cricket match anymore. There are no emotions left in cricket. Wood and leather, nothing more!
Ananthakrishnan R
Have you seen God, my friends? We saw him, not in heaven but in a stadium. We have seen legends and champions but we have not seen a god in front our eyes until Sachin Tendulkar came in to bat at No. 4 for India. Nothing bad will happen if you have Sachin in your dreams because he is a god.
Ajay Nair
Sachin, the master blaster, the cricketing great,
Fifty years of life, and records hard to replicate.
The little master, who wielded the willow with grace,
A cricketer par excellence, whose feats none can replace.
You scored a hundred centuries, an unparalleled feat,
In cricketing history, your name shall forever beat.
The highest run-scorer in Tests and ODIs combined,
Your impact on the game, we shall forever remind.
On this special day, we wish you joy and cheer,
May your life be blessed with all that’s dear.
You’re an inspiration to millions, a true icon of the game,
Your legacy shall forever remain.
Thank you, Sachin, for all the memories you’ve given,
For the moments that have made our hearts livin’.
Here’s wishing you good health, happiness and love,
May your 50th birthday be as grand as the heavens above.
Chandan Kumar
From admiring the best of the game in Sunil Gavaskar and Viv Richards and sharing the field with legends like Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly to facing the toughest bowlers from three different generations like Waqar, Wasim, Walsh, Lee, McGrath, Warne, Cronje, Murali, Vaas, Steyn, Anderson and so on — playing it your way was never easy. The impact you’ve had in the lives of Dhoni, Virat, Rohit and millions of people with your magic is remarkable yet unexplainable at the same time.
Hema Chandran S S
I was 14 in 2008, when I was watching from the F stand of Chepauk since mid of Day 3 of that unforgettable Test against England where Sachin scored an unbeaten 103.
He amazed all of us with his very natural (classic) and unique straight and cover drives. Moreover, it was never easy to cement his place in the Indian team for 24 long years while many other cricketers were still trying to make their international debut.
Korak Banerjee
Cricket or Sachin — I don’t know whose fan I became first. I can’t even remember how I became a devotee of him.
But I know that this man is my oxygen! The reason for my maximum happiness in life is Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.
He is my idol for his discipline, dedication, devotion and behaviour on and off the field. Sachin Sir, I want to see another chanceless hundred from you after 50 years. I will wait for it. The whole India will wait for it.
Suchitra S
You were my favourite sportsperson, even prior to me getting acquainted with cricket, because you were the favourite of many around me who looked up to you as a kid. It was through the prism of your game that I became a fan of the sport, which only fueled my admiration for you exponentially.
Newspaper clippings, magazines, posters & cards — I collected them all to gratify my awe of you. I still reminisce the times I watched cricket just to be bowled over by your game.
Thank you for all that you have done for the sport, fans and beyond.
Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik creates a sand sculpture of Sachin Tendulkar to wish him on his 50th birthday at Puri beach in Odisha. | Photo Credit: PTI
Biplab Dikshit
As a 90s kid, I too was smitten by SRT. I used to adjust my guard just like him, while holding an MRF bat. It all started when I saw him play in the 1996 World Cup.
I was barely six then. He was going after Warne and not letting him settle.
I felt a connection; just didn’t want him to get out.
I became a believer when I saw him play against Henry Olonga in Sharjah. I still remember what Ravi Shastri said when Tendulkar scored the first-ever ODI double hundred - “The first man on the planet to reach 200 and it’s the Superman from India.” A true God who made cricket a religion.
L. Srichandrasekar
Sachin! Sachin! Sachin! Sachin!... these chants that emanate from every Indian, whether on or off the cricket field, stand testimony to his sheer hard work and dedication. In Sachin’s heydays, the burden of a nation was on his shoulders and he did not disappoint. His stats show he is the greatest. His acts show he is the finest. His grace shows he is the best. His persona shows he is the most honest.
Charudatt Prabhu
“We are all enveloped in Sachin’s aura. Aren’t we? He occupied our hearts and minds. His success felt like a personal one, while his failure made us feel for him. No words will ever suffice to express gratitude for what he has done. We pray that he gets what was always expected of him: a 100, the real one. May the next 50 come effortlessly, Sachin, we promise, there will be no pressure.”
G Umamaheswaran
Dear Sachin, on November 16, 2013, you left millions crying as you bid adieu to international cricket. Men may come and men may go, but the memories of your innings, the glory you have brought to India and the Indians, the signature straight drive, the No. 10 jersey, will stay in our hearts forever. “Sachin” has become a household name as children are named after you. Yes, you speak less and stay calm but the timber does all the talking. Converting 50s into 100s is a habit for you, and I wish that it continues in your healthy life.
Abhinav Upadhyay
As a kid, my bedtime was determined by the time until Sachin was batting. My wake up time changed if he was not out at the end of the day in a Test match in New Zealand or Australia. Each day, countless times, I imitated his style and shots and finally, on 16th November, 2013, something broke inside me and cricket was never the same again. The grit, tenacity, dedication and sheer love for the game and the nation which he showed will inspire me forever. Happy Birthday, Sachin! Thank you for making our lives beautiful.
Ambili Gireesh
Dear Sachin,
On this special day,
We celebrate you in every way.
For fifty years, you’ve graced this earth,
And shown us all what sportsmanship’s worth.
Your dedication to cricket, and to life,
Is a shining example, void of strife.
You inspired us with every stroke,
And brought the world together with every joke.
So on this day, we thank you true,
For all you’ve done, for me and you.
We wish you health, happiness, and more,
And know that you will always soar.
Happy 50th Birthday Sachin,
You are a legend, now and within.
Keshav Athreya
Cats have nothing on me - I’ve lived 899 lives. Each time Sachin was at the crease, he batted like my life depended on it. In turn, I defended him against charges of mortality.
I don’t think any divine being has worked miracles quite like he has. After all, he cured me of a raging viral fever on 24th April 1998. To think he was battling Warne at the same time.
I once saw Sachin in the queue at Siddhi Vinayak. I prodded the wide-eyed guy next to me, “Is it him?”. The rapture in his eyes answered my question. As if anyone else could mean so much to so many.
Ashwin Nenmini
Wish you a very happy 50th birthday, Master! Thank you for enthralling us for a quarter of a century. Praying that I get an opportunity again to wish you on this platform after you complete another ton (as is your habit), but this time in years (and not runs)!
Narayan Shankar
When Sachin raises his bat, he raises the spirit of the nation. Well done, Sachin!! Kya ba(a)t hain. MRF, his bat sponsor, played this ad whenever he scored a ton. Could not agree more with a nation that waited with bated breath and prayers whenever he went to bat. Named after the legendary composer SD Burman, bowlers all around the world faced the music whenever the Master Blaster batted. He significantly upped the ante whenever the chips were down. Here’s wishing the Master Blaster another 50 glorious years to add to his tally of already existing 100 international tons.
Anish P
Dear Sachin, as a quizzer during my childhood, you were the answer to many of the questions thrown at me. The fact that you were the first person to be given out by the third umpire, or that you took the field for Pakistan as a substitute before making your debut -- I thought of myself as a far greater Sachin fanboy than the rest because I knew things about you that most people did not. Thank you for inspiring an entire generation of cricket fans and more importantly showing the world that humility and greatness can go hand-in-hand.
Irshad Khadari
During the second innings of the 4th India-Pakistan Test match in 1989, a young batter came to play Waqar (Younis), who was terrifying batters. With his lethal speed, he got Tendulkar injured. His nose was bleeding profusely, but he did not give up, showed rare courage and continued batting. The next ball, he hit a four. That lad was Tendulkar, the indomitable champion. His ‘desert storm’ knock against Australia at Sharjah in 1998, his uppercut six against Shoaib Akhtar in 2003 World Cup and many more are all memorable cricketing folklores.
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