Feature
If the great man had sat down to write a letter to his fans, reflecting on his life, it might have read something like this
Tendulkar was the biggest worshipper the game could ever find, and in that lay the foundation of his greatness
While the team, the country and the sport changed around him, Tendulkar remained constant
You can ask as much as you want for a more "human", more "feelable, touchable" Sachin, but he'll probably not change - and that's a good thing
Everybody has a Tendulkar story. Everybody has a hole inside them now that he has gone
Tendulkar has become a national symbol of optimism and pride but when he bats, we still see him as an underdog
In some ways, we know less about him now than before. The more he has played, the more godlike and inscrutable he has become
Eager administrators, grateful artists, and irate fans: a peek into a one-man industrial complex
There are few chhaatas out in Kolkata. The rains are over, the sun is not that harsh. The umbrella, that quintessential companion of the bhadralok [gentle folk], has been left at home; the weather is just too good.
ESPNcricinfo staffers pick their favourite memory of Tendulkar bowling
Kanishkaa Balachandran : "Lara v Tendulkar" has always been a favourite pre-series billing between the two run machines, but it's a little-known fact that Tendulkar has dismissed Lara four times in one-dayers. The first such instance was perhaps the most spectacular. Tendulkar had just reminded the world that he could never be underestimated as a bowler, delivering a chilling final over against South Africa in the semi-final of the Hero Cup at Eden Gardens. In the final against West Indies, defending 225, the captain Mohammad Azharuddin tossed him the ball when Lara was on 33. Bowling seam-up rather than spin, Tendulkar landed the ball on the off stump. Lara looked to whip it across the line in his signature style but played too early. The off stump went for a spin and the partisan crowd, unnervingly silent till then, cranked up the volume. Tendulkar pumped his fist and sprinted, and there was no looking back for India.
Kanishkaa Balachandran is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
Devashish Fuloria: I had missed most of the West Indies innings due to a power cut and even though they were 76 for 8 chasing 127, India looked set to lose the match; they just used to. Curtly Ambrose's six off Kapil Dev reiterated that feeling. Ambrose was run out, but West Indies still drew close. With India's seamers having bowled out their quotas, Mohammad Azharuddin opted for Tendulkar to bowl his first with only five runs to defend.
Devashish Fuloria is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
When Tendulkar scored his maiden Test hundred, he was not only dealing with the pressure of saving the match, but also of the tremendous interest surrounding his arrival at the milestone
"Oh the places you'll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all."
- Dr Seuss, Oh, The Places You'll Go!