Sachin Tendulkar (in this pic) at the age of 14. Sachin Tendulkar was passionate about cricket ever since he was a kid and look where it took him. Tendulkar is easily the biggest legend in the world of cricket with numerous records to his name. (Pics/ mid-day archives)

Our son: Sachin Tendulkar lies on the laps of his parents Ramesh and Rajni at their Sahitya Sahawas home in Bandra east in the late 1980s. Sachin Tendulkar was born in Dadar. His father Ramesh is a renowned Marathi novelist and his mother Rajini worked in insurance

Sweet spot: Sachin`s father Ramesh Tendulkar checks out his son`s bat as mother Rajni looks on at their residence

MY BAGS ARE PACKED, I`M READY TO GO: Sachin Tendulkar Sorting out his kit bag in the late 1980`s

Sachin Tendulkar looks intently at his cricket bat in his home.

Sachin Tendulkar (left) and his childhood mate Atul Ranade

Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kamble when they put on a world-record partnership of 664 runs during an inter-school game in 1988

The late Ramakant Achrekar with his wards, Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli

Sachin and Anjali Tendulkar wave to the paparazzi on their wedding day in May 1995

Sachin Tendulkar and Anjali were married on 24th May 1995. The couple have two kids - a daughter Sara and a son Arjun

Sachin Tendulkar credits his wife Anjali Tendulkar for most of his success as she gave up her career so he could pursue his

Sachin and Anjali Tendulkar along with Bollywood actress Sonali Bendre

Sachin Tendulkar with Nita Ambani, co-owner of Mumbai T20 franchise

Upon his coach late Ramakant Achrekar`s suggestion, Sachin switched his school to Sharadashram Vidyamandir High School in Dadar, which was known for giving prominence to cricket

16-year-old Sachin Tendulkar during his Test debut in the first Test match against Pakistan at Karachi in November 1989

Sachin Tendulkar was named after the famous musician Sachin Dev Burman

Sachin Tendulkar playing on his Test cricket debut

During his younger days, Sachin and his brother Ajit were part of the Sahitya Sahawas society cricket team, Bandra East

Sachin Tendulkar cutting a cake for one of his birthdays back in the day...

SLEEPING TIGER: Tendulkar takes a nap inside the dressing room while Kiwi great Richard Hadlee (right) paid a surprise visit during one of India`s tours to New Zealand

Sachin Tendulkar during a training session in Mumbai

Sachin Tendulkar with Ravi Shastri and Dilip Vengsarkar

My turn, now? All set to blast away. Sachin Tendulkar during one of his cricket matches

Sachin Tendulkar caught in a candid moment with Bishen Singh Bedi

(From left to right) Former Indian skipper Mohammed Azharuddin with Ajay Sharma and Sachin Tendulkar in 1993

Sachin Tendulkar signing autographs for many of his fans

Sachin Tendulkar raises his bat after scoring a century during a match

Sachin Tendulkar is congratulated by Manoj Prabhakar after the young star scored his maiden Test hundred against England in the Old Trafford Test of 1990. (Pic/ Getty Images)

Sachin Tendulkar was also the captain of the Ranji team for Mumbai. He won a title with the Mumbai cricket team as well

ALL SMILES! Sachin Tendulkar with Ajay Jadeja during a flight

Sachin Tendulkar with Mohammad Azharuddin in 1999

`The terrific trio`: Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly

Sachin Tendulkar with Sourav Ganguly during a training session. The Tendulkar-Ganguly opening duo is one of the finest in the history of the game

(From left to Right): Indian cricketers Ajay Jadeja, Paras Mhammbrey, Rohan Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar with his opening partner and good friend Virender Sehwag

Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne were peculiarly known for their epic battles of bat versus ball. But the batsman and spinner were good friends off the field

Sachin Tendulkar with Rahul Dravid

Sachin Tendulkar with spinner Anil Kumble during a Test match

ANY PITCH WILL DO: Tendulkar surely can`t get enough of cricket as he plays a few tennis-ball games in the Sahitya Sahawas society compound

Sachin Tendulkar with the legendary Sir Don Bradman

Sachin Tendulkar with Sir Vivian Richards. The both of them have mutual respect for each other with Viv Richards always speaking highly of Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar with former South Africa captain late Hansie Cronje

Sachin Tendulkar with Ajay Jadeja (L) and Sunil Joshi (C)

Sachin Tendulkar snapped at a restaurant outlet. Does he look like a foodie?

There`s something about Mary... Sachin Tendulkar with Mary Serrao, a devoted fan, at Mehboob Studio. Four years ago on April 24th , Sachin and Mary celebrated their 36th and 86th birthdays respectively. Her wish was to meet him before she passes away. On May 27, Mary`s dream was fulfilled when MiD DAY introduced her to her hero - Sachin Tendulkar!

Sachin Tendullkar with legendary singer Asha Bhosle

(L-R) Tendulkar with Sunil Gavaskar, Gundappa Vishwanath and Amitabh Bachchan

Guess who? Sachin Tendulkar (r) and his look-alike

Maestro Sachin Tendulkar teaching a little bit of cricket to F1 legend Michael Schumacher

Sachin Tendulkar was considered a cricket prodigy during his school days with many veterans believing he would become one of the greatest players in the game

Sachin Tendulkar engaging in a game of table tennis. Besides cricket, Sachin is a fan of many other sports

Sachin Tendulkar chilling in a bathtub

Sachin Tendulkar celebrates his birthday during a TV show

Sachin Tendulkar bowling during the 1992 World Cup in New Zealand

Ball boys get an up-close photo of `The terrific trio` during an ODI match

Sachin Tendulkar is the first batsman to ever score an ODI double century

Sachin Tendulkar was also part of the Mumbai T20 squad and won 3 titles wit them

Sachin Tendulkar during a training session with Mumbai Indians

Sachin Tendulkar clicked while entering the cricket field