Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly says Sachin Tendulkar is the greatest batsman he has ever seen and rates the Little Master far ahead of Ricky Ponting and Brian Lara for he leaves nothing to chance.
Ganguly writing for Outlook, recalls his first meeting with Tendulkar at a camp "conducted by Vasu Paranjpe under the aegis of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association." The two young boys since forged a friendship that remains strong to this day but Ganguly noticed how the curly-haired boy was the first to go to the nets and how Paranjpe had to literally pull little Tendulkar away so that the others could bat.
Soon after Tendulkar made it big in the Indian domestic stage and was picked for the team to tour Pakistan in 1989 and immediately announced himself to the world. Ganguly, who was then touring with the Bengal squad vividly remembers the first impressions Tendulkar created as an international player.
"After that first meeting, Sachin had catapulted himself into national reckoning within a couple of years and had already scored hundreds at the Ranji and Irani trophies before he was 17. It wasn't a surprise that at 16 he was picked for the Indian tour to Pakistan in 1989," Ganguly wrote.
By the time India toured Australia in 1992, the world sat up and took note of Tendulkar and his skills. As a teenage sensation, he was beginning to create waves and experts believed a true genius had arrived on the scene. India's tour Down Under was also Ganguly's debut for India where he shared a room with the Little Master.
Ganguly walked down memory lane to reminisce about the butterflies in Tendulkar's stomach on the eve of his first century in Australia.
Tendulkar was unable to sleep and caught a quick nap at the dining table in the team dressing room at the SCG and Ganguly was under strict instructions to wake him at the fall of the next wicket.
"I was part of the team but wasn't expected to play the Tests while Sachin was gradually establishing himself as the team's premier batsman.
"Importantly, we were roommates during this tour and I clearly remember him in Sydney, on the night before he went on to get his first century in Australia. India was down 0-2 and we needed to play well in Sydney to regain some confidence. Sachin just refused to sleep that night. I remember telling him that if he was to play next day he desperately needed to sleep. He said he just couldn't, and started telling me where he would hit McDermott and the others! By midnight I was asleep, leaving him to his devices. The next day he told me that he was starved of sleep and that he'd nap on the dining table in the team dressing room at the SCG.
"Later, I was asked to wake up him up at the fall of the next wicket. Sachin was about to bat at number six, and I woke him up when Azhar got out. He said he was refreshed, now that he'd had some sleep. It was odd how he could sleep on a dining table! He played an amazing innings of 148 not out and I believe we should have won that Sydney Test," Ganguly recalled in his column.
Eleven years later, both players were an integral part of the Indian team - while Ganguly was captain, Tendulkar was the best batsman in a side that went on to reach the World Cup final in South Africa in 2003. Tendulkar was in the form of his life and Ganguly catapulted to be regarded as India's most successful captain and it was from that memorable event that Dada discovered how wrong he was about asking Tendulkar to bat at number four. However a team meeting between himself, Anil Kumble, then coach John Wright and Tendulkar himself settled matters - Tendulkar would open the innings.
"The rest, as they say, is history. Sachin tore into opposition bowling attacks and was instrumental in guiding us to the final. And this included playing one of his best knocks ever against Pakistan at Centurion on March 1, 2003." said Ganguly, now a TV commentator after retiring from international cricket in 2008.
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