The best of the best quotes : Celebrating Sachin Tendulkar

Presenting readers a list of countdown from 11-to-1 best quotes on Sachin Tendulkar ever. These quotes are from the experts from the game itself, thus, making it all the more valuable and incisive to determine the greatness of the man. Let’s celebrate a phenomenon – “Sachin Tendulkar!”

11. Hashim Amla: “Nothing bad can happen to us if we’re on a plane in India with Sachin Tendulkar on it.”

What does it Mean: The countless number of blessings, best wishes and unconditional love shower on Sachin by his, at least, 121 million devotees diurnally.

10. Mark Taylor: “We did not lose to a team called India…we lost to a man called Sachin.”

What does it Mean: This was said by the then Australian captain after being defeated by India (or Sachin, as he said) at Chennai in 1997. It shows how dependant Indian team was on Sachin throughout 1990’s.

9. Harsha Bhogle: “If Sachin plays well… India sleeps well.”

What does it Mean: Sachin is the most important player in the team and the most trusted player for the people. It also reflects the expectations the country has from him every time he goes out to bat.

8. Andy Flower:“There are 2 kind of batsmen in the world. One Sachin Tendulkar. Two all the others.”

What does it Mean: Sachin stands out from the rest of the cricketers, no matter how brilliant the others are. Also, he is an institution in himself, while others are merely the students in there. In short, Sachin is the best!

7. Navjot Singh Sidhu“India me aap Prime Minister ko ek Baar Katghare me khada kar sakte hain…Par Sachin Tendulkar par Ungli nahi utha Sakte..”

What does it Mean: The integrity of the maestro, not only as a cricketer but also as a human being.

6. Andrew Flintoff:“When you bowl at him you are not just trying to get him out, you are trying to impress him. “I want him to walk off thinking ‘that Flintoff, he’s all right isn’t he?’ I feel privileged to have played against him.”

What does it Mean: The respect he commands from his contemporaries. How players across the world value his opinion of them, showing the unfeigned fan following amongst the rival competitors as well.

5. Brain Lara: “Sachin is a genius , I am a mere mortal!”

What does it Mean: Even his closest competitor amongst his contemporaries gives it to Sachin, thus, establishing the fact that he is a very popular legend across the world, for the fans and opponents alike.

4. Mathew Hayden: “I have seen GOD , he bats at no.4 for india in Tests.”

What does it Mean: It echoes what each Indian thinks about the prodigy :- If Cricket is a religion, then Sachin is God. Matthew Hayden, too, realizes after witnessing the frenzy around him every time he is in the country.

3. Shane Warne: “Sachin Tendulkar is, in my time, the best player without doubt – daylight second, Brian Lara third.”

What does it Mean: Even the best bowler in the world considers Sachin to be light years ahead of his contemporaries.

2. Viv Richards: “If there is a better batsman than Sachin then he hasn’t arrived yet.”

What does it Mean: The maestro has conquered the imagination of all time greats alike. It must make his critics wonder that if his fan list boasts of such legends, he must be something. In another statement Sir Viv Richards said, “I will pay to watch Sachin play.”

1. BBC Sports: “Beneath the helmet, under that unruly curly hair, inside the cranium, there is something we don’t know, something beyond scientific measure. Something that allows him to soar, to roam a territory of sport that, forget us, even those who are gifted enough to play alongside him cannot even fathom. When he goes out to bat, people switch on their television sets and switch off their lives.”

What does it Mean: Everything about the man. The man who is motivation and inspiration for young recruits to the game, highest degree of excellence for the experts, poetry for artistes who have seen him playing, a pleasure for those who know him personally and the God for rest.

BONUS QUOTE

Sir Don Bradman: “I saw him playing on television and was struck by his technique, so I asked my wife to come look at him. Now I never saw myself play, but I feel that this player is playing much the same as I used to play, and she looked at him on Television and said yes, there is a similarity between the two…high compactness, technique, stroke production… it all seemed to gel!”