Sachin Tendulkar: Master of his trade

Sachin Tendulkar's latest milestone adds another incredible chapter to the story of his career

It may have taken him over a year to tick his way from 99 to 100 international centuries, but there was never any real doubt Sachin Tendulkar would reach the remarkable milestone.

The Little Master is a true great - perhaps ​the ​great - and seemingly unites cricket fans across the world in their admiration for him.

He is cheered by all crowds every time he goes out to bat and cheered again as he makes his way back to the pavilion.

Unfortunately for him, the times between those two moments have been all too short in the last 12 months, but now he has the monkey of the wait for the hundredth hundred off his back after today's century against Bangladesh, he should go from strength to strength again.

Of course, he may see this as the opportune moment to bow out with his magnificent triumph in the bag, but he still seems to have so much left to give in both one-day and Test cricket.

Tendulkar was in magnificent form as India won the World Cup last year and although it has been a torturous time for both him and the team since then, they now seem to have turned the corner.

As Jose Mourinho might say, Tendulkar is not "one from the bottle".

He could continue with his peerless batting and elegant strokeplay for the next 10 years if he wanted, but logic suggests this is the twilight of his career at 38.

He has been going strong for almost 23 years since making his Test debut at the tender age of 16, and records have tumbled in all forms of the game since then.

Tendulkar is comfortably the highest run scorer and century maker in Tests and one-dayers and although some may argue against it, for me he is the best batsman of all-time and a cricketing genius.

To have achieved all he has, in the manner he has, and to have kept his level this high for almost two-and-a-half decades is simply incredible.

Don Bradman has a case, of course, but for sheer consistency, unpretentiousness and batting beauty, the best of all-time must be Tendulkar.

He makes batting look effortless and his style must surely be the basis on which all future batting manuals will be built around.

In India, he is quite simply a God and can't even leave his house due to the adulation he is held in.

'Legend' is a term overused in all sports, but if anyone is fitting of that status, it is Tendulkar.

The sight of Tendulkar batting in full flow is a joy to behold

His record of one hundred international centuries will surely never be matched and we are lucky to be able to watch such a master of his trade in action.

The rest of Tendulkar's career must be savoured by all as it is unlikely there will ever be a batsman in his class again.

His greatness in all forms of the game is what stands out more than most and proves that a great batsman can perform whatever the format.

The last year has been a blip for him with perhaps the pressure of a nation's expectations resting heavy on his shoulders, as people have mentioned little else but his quest for the ultimate milestone when talking about Tendulkar in the last year.

India now need him to reach his incredible levels again in the absence of the recently-retired Rahul Dravid and Tendulkar has proved over the years he can deal with those expectations.

The Little Master is once again standing tall over the cricketing world and it is surely a delight to all fans to see him reach his destiny.

It was a long time coming, but it takes nothing away from the momentous achievement of Tendulkar.

A feat like this will never be reached again and his hundredth hundred is sure to have brought a smile to the face of not only all Indians, but all cricket fans.

It is particularly in India where most delight will be demonstrated, as Sachin is a way of life for many Indians.

He has made the 1billion+ population of a cricket-mad country delirious with joy by reaching this milestone and it is hard to imagine how much it means to them.

You see the pictures and you read the words but still it is difficult to understand just how high he is regarded by the people in India.

His milestone is up there with not just the best thing any cricketer has achieved, but any sports star.

It is difficult to comprehend just how he has reached the remarkable figure and how much concentration, dedication and talent it has taken for him to get there.

He may be just 5ft 5in, but Sachin Tendulkar is a sporting giant and will go down as one of the best, up there with the Muhammad Alis, Roger Federers and Peles of this world.

The Little Master deserves admiration from all for what has been - and continues to be - a truly unbelievable career.