Just about everything in Sachin Tendulkar's life happened at an early age. He debuted when he was 16, made his World Cup debut at 19 and made an immediate mark! In the 1992 World Cup campaign in Australia, Tendulkar was one of the most prolific Indian batsmen, averaging 47.17 and scoring 283 runs with three scores of 50-plus. His aggregate (among Indian batsmen) was second only to the Indian captain, Mohammed Azharuddin. He did make his mark with the ball too, picking up two wickets but more importantly bowling 41 overs at an economy rate of just 4.39. This was the start of a long love affair with the biggest stage in ODI cricket.

Tendulkar's next tryst with the Cricket World Cup was in 1996 when the tournament was played in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. A changed format meant that there won't be an eight-match round robin preliminary round like there was in 1992. By this time, Tendulkar had established himself as one of the game's premier ODI batsmen. And he lived up to the expectations scoring his first World Cup hundred in the opening match against Kenya. He ended the World Cup as the top-scorer with 523 runs in 7 matches, 2 hundreds and 3 fifties. By far, the best in the world. Disappointment, though, was evident on his face when India had to forfeit their semi-final against Sri Lanka due to unruly crowd behaviour in Kolkata. He would have to wait his time to have a shot at the Cup.

In 1999, apart from being India's main hope in its quest for the Cup, Tendulkar found himself battling personal tragedy. And once again, his commitment to the team came before self and family. Despite the death of his father, Tendulkar missed only one match and was back within days to play against Kenya, a game in which he scored a now famous hundred. And once again, he was instrumental in India making it beyond the first round of the event. This time, though, he had able support from two rising stars: Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly.

In 1999, Tendulkar did not open the innings except in the opening match. But in the crucial Super Six match against Pakistan, he stepped up and decided to face the fire himself. His 45 runs and a 58 run partnership with Rahul Dravid for the second wicket ensured that India were in a position to put up a good score at the end of their allotted 50 overs. But for the team, it was another unsuccessful campaign as India failed to make it to the semi-finals. For Tendulkar, the wait continued.

In 2003, the World Cup travelled to South Africa and by now, he was seriously making claims to all the top spots in World Cup cricket. This would be his year. Under a new captain and with a young team, India had great hopes in the 2003 World Cup. All of it almost came to nothing when India submitted to Australia in the opening stages without so much as a fight. A hard fought win over the Netherlands did nothing to help raise support. Eventually, a personal appeal by Tendulkar saying the team is trying and proof of it soon after with a win over Zimbabwe got the campaign well under way.

Tendulkar had grown into the senior role and was also the mainstay of the Indian batting. In one of his most memorable innings, he, along with Virender Sehwag, proceeded to systematically decimate the much-vaunted Pakistan pace attack. Tendulkar scored a scintillating 98 off just 75 balls, all the time battling cramps and demons of the past. India had never lost to Pakistan in a World Cup match and it was not about to change now. India continued its charge towards the elusive top prize in World Cricket and Tendulkar finally saw his team in the final of the World Cup. Unfortunately for him and India, it was not to be. Chasing a mammoth 359, India lost the final by a whopping 125 runs.

At almost 34, the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup is perhaps his last shot at the big prize. And if any ODI player has ever deserved this prize more than a team, it is Sachin Tendulkar, the greatest ever one-day international player.

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