Tendulkar’s Everest

In England last year, Tendulkar seemed to have reconciled himself to the inevitable slowing down and dimming of his prodigious physical talent. He reinvented himself, subjugating his ego, taking blows on the body, and eking out runs. But just as the experts proclaimed that the newer version of Tendulkar, while less striking, was only marginally less effective, the master did what great champions do. He challenged popular perception by reprising in Australia the brilliant, spontaneous style of his early years. It is fitting that he achieved the honour of becoming Test cricket’s highest run-scorer — Tendulkar went past Brian Lara’s aggregate of 11,953 runs — while playing against Australia, a country where he is revered as the greatest batsman since Sir Donald Bradman.