Racking up a record 100 centuries across formats, Sachin Tendulkar became the favourite son of a nation. Called up in 1989 against Pakistan, he scored his first century in 1990 against England. By the end of his career, he had 51 centuries in Tests and 49 in ODIs. If immortality comes from achievements, the ‘Little Master’ does have a very good claim to it: he has a stunning aggregate of 34,357 runs across formats. In 2011, Tendulkar finally won his first World Cup. At 37, his appetite for runs remained undiminished, as he ended up as India’s leading run-scorer in the tournament. He retired from ODIs in 2012, having scored his hundredth hundred in his penultimate match. His final Test came in November 2013, his 200th game. One suspects that his name will live on as long as the game exists.