Sachin Tendulkar my role model and inspiration: Rohit Sharma

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 21 (ANI): Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, a player who redefined the standards of cricket to such an extent that he was awarded the title of 'God of Cricket'.

In a career that lasted over 25 years, Sachin became a role model for many cricketers and became the benchmark that is still out of grasp for even the best cricketers of this generation.

"Sachin Tendulkar was my role model and inspiration. He was the benchmark," Rohit Sharma stated in the book Sachin@50 published by Simon and Schuster for Sachin's 50th birthday.

Cricketers before Sachin as well as Cricketers after Sachin knew about the mesmerizing talent he possessed and why he stood leagues above many players.

"First, there was Sir Don Bradman, then there was Sir Garfield Sobers. Then it was Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar," Sunil Gavaskar said in Sachin@50 published by Simon and Schuster for Sachin's 50th birthday.

"Sachin is the best I have seen and will perhaps ever see. Well done my friend and a very happy birthday," stated Sourav Ganguly in Sachin@50 published by Simon and Schuster for Sachin's 50th birthday.

For more than two generations of Indians, and cricket fans from elsewhere, Sachin Tendulkar is a name that opened doors and hearts wherever you were on the planet. Even in the days before the social media revolution, Sachin was a truly global icon. It didn't matter if you were in Sydney or South Africa, Kolkata or Kingston, Sachin's name was a conversation starter.

The teenage wonder who exploded into the global consciousness with his bloodied nose in Pakistan in 1989, before becoming the greatest batting sensation ever, transcended the boundaries of sport. As with Jesse Owens, Ali, Pele and Maradona, Sachin's role in making Indian cricket a household phenomenon globally can never be underestimated.

It was not just the runs he scored. It was the manner in which he scored them - with matchless flair, scoring 100 international hundreds in the process.

On 24th April Sachin will be 50 years old and to mark this special occasion a book Sachin@50 will be released to make it even more special. It includes original essays and pieces by his wife Anjali Tendulkar and his mentor-cum-brother Ajit Tendulkar; cricketers such as Sunil Gavaskar, Sourav Ganguly, Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, David Warner, Michael Clarke; and other stalwarts like Abhinav Bindra, Pullela Gopichand, Vishwanathan Anand, Sania Mirza, Usha Uthup, Farhan Akhtar, Prahlad Kakkar, among others. (ANI)