The Best Gift For Sachin

Living legend Sachin Tendulkar will grace the 2011 World Cup Final in his own backyard, Mumbai.

Sachin Tendulkar has proven that he is no ordinary great.

Ricky Ponting has demonstrated the fallibility of ordinary greatness. Trumpeted by Australians as one of the all-time Aussie greats, he languishes in the shadow of Tendulkar. Almost two years younger than Sachin, his eyes can no longer withstand the scrutiny of a quickish bowler. As he fades away while Sachin continues to scale new heights, we are reminded of the extraordinary longevity of the Great One. Ponting's own compatriot Shane Warne rates Tendulkar the greatest player he has played with or against.

Sachin Tendulkar is the reigning ICC cricketer of the year. Last year he hit a double century in ODIs, something never accomplished before or since. And this effort came not against Bangladesh or Zimbabwe or West Indies, but against mighty South Africa.

Comparisons to Donald Bradman are rife and these days it is being said that with 99 international centuries, almost 50% more than his closest rival, he is as far ahead of his contemporaries as Don was ahead of his. But the chorus of Tendulkar as greatest ever is growing, as people note his prowess in 3 forms of the game against a far greater number of teams and in far more diverse conditions than Bradman ever did.

In the ongoing World Cup, Tendulkar is one of the top scorers, and has hit big runs in every major game played by India so far. In the semifinal against Pakistan, a game some say may be bigger than the final, as Man of the Match he led India to the fifth straight victory in World Cups over their combative neighbor.

What could be the best possible gift for Sachin in his final World Cup match on April 2, three weeks before his 38th birthday?

He will play the 2011 World Cup final in Mumbai, the city where he grew up and for which he first played a first-class match at age 15, hitting an unbeaten century in that match. One could not possibly come up with a better scenario than this finale; on Saturday April 2 the stadium will be overflowing with Sachin fans.

Those fans will probably dream about Sachin scoring his 100th international century to bring India its second World Cup Trophy, 28 years after India won its first.

They will dream about Sachin winning another Man of the Match award, perhaps another Man of the World Cup award.

All of these would be fine gifts for Sachin; we his fans can dream.

But at the end of it all, we know that the best possible gift in cricket is Sachin himself.

So let us cherish the memories he has given us all these years, for one thing is certain: there never has been a cricketer like Sachin before, and there never will be another.