Near the close

On the greatest cricketer of the modern age, Sachin Tendulkar:

Many players are capable of producing the occasional moment of brilliance but very few can sustain a level of performance that is truly outstanding for more than 20 years. This is not achieved through possessing a god-given talent; it is achieved through having a deep love of the game, a passion that drives you to regularly spend two hours quietly batting on your own away from the spotlight and millions of fans.

When he started playing international cricket, India weren't the best team in the world. They weren't even close. West Indies, Australia and Pakistan were the top three at the time.

Today, after two decades of professional cricket, his side is at the pinnacle. In a few short years they've won two World Cups and their Test ranking is number one.

I watched him on TV in the early 90s when he was just a baby-faced teenager. His talent and technique even then was truly exceptional. Along with over a billion Indians I will miss him too when he retires in the near future.