<p>A gentle nod of the head and a slight occasional smile were the only reactions Sachin Tendulkar allowed himself as his former and current captains, as well as his current coach, paid heartfelt compliments to the little big man of Indian cricket.<br /><br />Gary Kirsten hasn’t had too many opportunities to eulogise Tendulkar the cricketer and the man on a public platform which included Tendulkar himself. “To me, Sachin Tendulkar is the greatest sporting role model I have ever seen,” the South African, who revealed that he had begun to get ‘sick and tired’ of the sight of Tendulkar’s straight bat while fielding at mid-off and mid-on, told the gathering. “I have seen the humility with which he accepts such adulation from so many people, it is truly extraordinary.”<br /><br />The gathering, of course, had assembled for the launch of a second book on the master in two days, ‘SACH’ by sports journalist Gautam Bhattacharya. A distinguished set of gentlemen, among them Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, spoke at length on Tendulkar. That they all chose to focus more on the human side of the 37-year-old than his cricketing exploits showed just how dear he is to their hearts.<br /><br />“I don’t think anyone has touched more people than Sachin has,” remarked Kumble. “He has touched a billion Indians, and he has touched Indians and cricket fans around the world. A true champion.”<br /><br />Dhoni said he had been pleasantly surprised at having been asked to write the foreword. “I have written very little about Sachin’s cricket and more about what I have learnt from him in five years as an international cricketer, as well as the kind of human being, father, husband and role model he has been,” the Indian skipper added.<br /><br />The evening began with a moving tribute from an unwell and absent Manna Dey, and ended with Dravid and Kumble wishing the Indian team and Tendulkar the very best for the World Cup. It was an evening of nostalgia and emotion, the book launch -- Kumble did the honours for the English edition, and Dravid and Dhoni for the Hindi one -- providing just the right platform.<br /></p>
<p>A gentle nod of the head and a slight occasional smile were the only reactions Sachin Tendulkar allowed himself as his former and current captains, as well as his current coach, paid heartfelt compliments to the little big man of Indian cricket.<br /><br />Gary Kirsten hasn’t had too many opportunities to eulogise Tendulkar the cricketer and the man on a public platform which included Tendulkar himself. “To me, Sachin Tendulkar is the greatest sporting role model I have ever seen,” the South African, who revealed that he had begun to get ‘sick and tired’ of the sight of Tendulkar’s straight bat while fielding at mid-off and mid-on, told the gathering. “I have seen the humility with which he accepts such adulation from so many people, it is truly extraordinary.”<br /><br />The gathering, of course, had assembled for the launch of a second book on the master in two days, ‘SACH’ by sports journalist Gautam Bhattacharya. A distinguished set of gentlemen, among them Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, spoke at length on Tendulkar. That they all chose to focus more on the human side of the 37-year-old than his cricketing exploits showed just how dear he is to their hearts.<br /><br />“I don’t think anyone has touched more people than Sachin has,” remarked Kumble. “He has touched a billion Indians, and he has touched Indians and cricket fans around the world. A true champion.”<br /><br />Dhoni said he had been pleasantly surprised at having been asked to write the foreword. “I have written very little about Sachin’s cricket and more about what I have learnt from him in five years as an international cricketer, as well as the kind of human being, father, husband and role model he has been,” the Indian skipper added.<br /><br />The evening began with a moving tribute from an unwell and absent Manna Dey, and ended with Dravid and Kumble wishing the Indian team and Tendulkar the very best for the World Cup. It was an evening of nostalgia and emotion, the book launch -- Kumble did the honours for the English edition, and Dravid and Dhoni for the Hindi one -- providing just the right platform.<br /></p>
