sound cricketer

No one in the history of cricket has come close to matching Bradman's mark of 99.94 average in test maches. Bradman's 29 Test centuries included ten double tons and two triples. And the other side., It is hard to imagine someone playing Test cricket at the age of 16 and completed 24 career years continuously. no cricketer to have played in excess of 200 Tests like Tendulkar.

Great men Great moment

Sir Donald's house in Kensington. A modest, middle-class home, Sachin and Warne walked in to be introduced to the great man himself.

While Warne and Tendulkar were dressed in almost identical suits, the Don was in casual attire. The first thing Bradman did was to enquire about Warne's shoulder. To Tendulkar, he said: "I'm so glad you came." Says Warne: "He was very friendly, relaxed, mentally as sharp as ever and even threw in a few good one-liners, although I can't really remember them now, probably because I was trying too hard to take it all in."

He asked Tendulkar whether he moved before the ball left the bowler's hand.

To which the younger batsman rather modestly replied, "I don't know." With a glint in his eyes, Sir Donald tapped Tendulkar's shoulder: "I think you do. You begin your movement before the bowler balls, otherwise you wouldn't have the time to play the kind of shots you do."

Before Sachin could recover from the compliment the Don went on to the next. He commented that it didn't look like Sachin had been coached. Sachin said: "No, I've had three coaches. One in school, one at the state level and one at Test level." "I didn't think you were coached," explained Sir Donald, "because anybody who's been through coaches is told to play with the left elbow pointed towards mid-off. You don't do that. I didn't do that. That gives you the flexibility to play in any direction anywhere." And he went on to demonstrate a few strokes.

Discussing the good batsmen of today, Sir Donald said he thought Sachin the best batsman around at the moment and the closest in style to the way he played.

Sir Donald Bradman was first impressed by Sachin Tendulkar while watching a one-day game against Australia in the 1996 World Cup and never missed a chance to see an innings from the Indian maestro after that, the book 'Bradman's Best' reveals.

"Australia won (that match) but not before a stunning 90 from Tendulkar that captured the Don's attention," the book, which chronicles each of the 12 members of the 'Dream Team' selected by Bradman, says in the chapter 'The Star of India'.