Sachin Tendulkar, the God of Cricket

Tendulkar has been the most complete batsman of his time and the most prolific runmaker of all time.

He has taken 114 catches in Test cricket and 140 in the ODIs.

His 154 scalps in ODIs underline the fact that Tendulkar could have also staked claim to be that elusive all-rounder that India has been desperately looking for since the legendary Kapil Dev.

The biggest compliment to his batting came from Bradman himself in 1999 when he said that Tendulkar's style of playing resembled his style.

A perfect team-man, Tendulkar limited his Twenty20 ambition to the Indian Premier League, ruling himself out of national reckoning lest it upsets the existing equilibrium of the side.

Tendulkar was also the first batsman in the world to score a double ton in ODIs, a feat he achieved in Gwalior against South Africa in February 2010. This was included in Times magazine's top 10 sports moments of the year.

His first Test century came in England in 1990 at Old Trafford and the Mumbaikar rose in stature after the 1991-92 tour of Australia, hitting sublime hundreds on a Sydney turner and a Perth minefield.

He is the only batsman to score 100 international centuries — 51 in Tests and 49 in ODIs.