Sachin Tendulkar

When Sachin Tendulkar was only sixteen years old, he walked out onto a cricket field to face some of the world's fastest bowlers. He was small in size but very brave.

For the next twenty-four years he carried the hopes of Indian cricket fans on his shoulders, one run at a time. He hit a hundred international centuries — a record no one else has matched.

In 2011, he finally lifted the ICC Cricket World Cup with his team.

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar was born in 1973 in Mumbai. He made his Test debut for India at fifteen years old, against Pakistan in Karachi in 1989.

Over a twenty-four-year career he played 200 Test matches and 463 One Day Internationals, and holds the record for the most runs in both formats.

He is the only cricketer ever to score 100 international centuries. He was a key member of the Indian squad that won the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup on home soil, fulfilling a lifelong dream.

He also captained India in Tests and ODIs. He retired from international cricket in 2013 and was, in 2014, the youngest recipient of the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour.

Off the field he supports schools, hospitals and sports programmes for children. To millions, he is simply known as the 'Little Master'.