The man "THE LEGEND"

Given all that's gone on over the past three weeks, this was so much more than just a match-winning century

He's 35-years-old and owns practically every batting record in the game, but you couldn't escape the feeling that this was probably Sachin Tendulkar's finest hour

Kevin Pietersen said it best after the game. "Who can write Sachin Tendulkar's scripts any better?," he asked. "The man from Mumbai came in and scored a sensational hundred. He batted like a superstar."

Yuvraj Singh faced the cameras. "My dream has come true," he said with the expression of a man who's come home "I have won a Test for India with Tendulkar.i"

So, where does this 103 with an asterisk on top figure in the Tendulkar pantheon? "I would rate this hundred as one of the best for sure," he said. "The win makes it even more special. I would put this one right up there given the circumstances and the surface, the weather and the target. We were able to overcome all the obstacles. I would rate it as one of the top ones."


Those that aren't Indian struggle to fathom exactly what Tendulkar means to so many millions, and it's doubtful whether even those that live here really comprehend just how much a part of the national consciousness he has become. He is such a unifying force, a personality capable of stirring the emotions in every nook and corner of a vast land

And in these times of distress and anger, it was so very appropriate that it would be Tendulkar who put the smiles back on at least a few faces.