Sachin Tendulkar Celebrates 50th Birthday: The A To Z Of 'Master Blaster'

To the Indians, Sachin Tendulkar is the man for "all seasons". It has been 10 years since he bid farewell to international cricket, leaving the nation full of moist eyes. As India's favourite son completes his 50th birthday, PTI chronicles his life and times in an alphabetical manner. It could be people, places and events related to the great man, which have dominated our lives for a better part of three-and-a-half decades.

A (Anjali, Arjun, Ajit) As Sachin Tendulkar maintains, better-half Anjali is the "best partnership" of his life. Son Arjun is carrying forward the Tendulkar legacy on the cricket pitch. And, had it not been for brother Ajit's efforts, who knows we would been deprived of the batting wizardry of the man from Bandra.

B (Bristol) The venue will always have an emotional connect with Tendulkar. It was here that he scored 140 against Kenya but, more importantly, it came less than a week after the death of his father, Professor Ramesh Tendulkar.

C (Centurion) The venue in South Africa where Tendulkar perhaps played one of his greatest ODI knocks -- 98 versus Pakistan during the 2003 World Cup. The six off pace bowler Shoaib Akhtar over point will always be remembered by fans.

D ('The Don') Sir Don Bradman will forever remain the 'Greatest' with his average of 99.94. But when 'The Don' said the "little fella's" batting style resembled his, the debate on contemporary cricket's best batter ended there.

E (Eden Gardens) Wankhede, where Tendulkar played his 200th Test, might be his soul but Eden Gardens, where he played his 199th game, remains one of his favourite grounds. Tendulkar the bowler attained superstardom when he bowled the epic last over in the Hero Cup semi-final against South Africa in 1993. India